Seven Days: An Experiment in Making Love
by dgschneider
Summary: She said she agreed with him then changed her mind several hours later. Sex was sex, all biological. Making love was no different and if he wanted her to believe otherwise he would have to prove it to her. Takes place after Death in the Saddle. Happy Happy Birthday Craftyjhawk!
1. Friday

_Happy Birthday to Craftyjhawk! When was little my dad used to always say that there were no holidays just holiday seasons because it always seemed like our celebrations were spread out encompassing more than just one day. After reading and choosing a prompt for this very special gift to a special friend I decided hers should definitely be a long birthday season. There will be seven chapters in this story so we can celebrate all week long!_

_I debated long and hard on what to name this story. Because I knew I wanted it to have seven chapters I got in the habit of calling it Seven Day. I kept thinking, man that sounds so familiar, why does that sound so familiar. And then I remembered. My dear Crafty, a reader and supporter of writers for a long time, recently broke the barrier and started writing her own stories. You can read her fanfics here or can read her original work on fictionpress under the same name (craftyjhawk) if you check her work out you'll see that her first story was called Seven Days...yep, that's right my once great mind has snapped. Of course my working title sounded familiar – it was the title of her work! But it's her birthday now and I still haven't come up with a different title so think of this Seven Days as a tribute to the great and bold Crafty! _

_A special thanks to my husband, who endures hours of reading and rereading as I write and change, write and change. And to SnowyBones and Givesup for doing the same and being a great beta readers for me._

_The prompt I picked was: What if Brennan had said "prove it to me" after Booth's explanation of making love vs. crappy sex?_

_My dear Crafty, You mean the world to me! Thank you for your friendship and support! _

Seven Day: An Experiment in Making Love

Friday Night

She bit her lip as her hand hovered over the door. She'd knocked once before but he didn't answer. _He's probably asleep_, she argued with herself. _I should go_. But she hadn't moved. _One more time_ she told herself. _If he doesn't answer I'll go home_. She tapped on the door, hard and fast then stopped and waited. She was just about to walk away when she heard him crashing through the apartment. Closing her eyes, she squared her shoulders and straightened her clothes as she braced herself for his greeting.

"Bones?" He was still blinking and rubbing his eyes trying to see. "Are you okay? Geez, Bones, what happened to you, you're soaking wet?" Paralyzed she just stood there as water ran down her face and dripped from the ends of her hair. She found herself staring at a sleepy Booth. He stood in front of her in what looked like old sweat pants that hung low on his hips. He'd just finished straightening at t-shirt he'd pulled over his head as he answered the door. She shivered, her whole body feeling the effects of having been out in the cold rain for far too long.

She was about to begin her planned explanation when he pulled her out of the hall into his apartment. "What'd you do, walk here from your place?"

So many times over that last of couple months he'd found himself using every ounce of restraint he could muster to keep from reaching out and touching her. The urge to hold her hand or pull her into his arms almost irresistible. But tonight he was barely awake, it was the middle of the night, and she was standing in his apartment soaking wet and clearly freezing.

Too tired to resist he gently wiped the little streaks of water from her cheeks as he moved the soft wet tendrils of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ears. She found she couldn't answer, couldn't think, couldn't breath. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to get warm.

"Come here." Pulling her through his apartment to his bathroom he grabbed a towel to dry her off and another he wrapped around her for warmth. "Okay, that's better, right? Now, talk to me."

"I was thinking about what you said tonight at the diner." She paused and shot him a look he'd seen so many times in their partnership as she waited for him to catch up. He nodded, encouraging her to keep talking as he leaned back against his bathroom counter. "About the differentiation between making love and, as you put it, crappy sex." Her teeth were still chattering making it hard to talk. "I..." she closed her eyes as she tried to pull herself together and speak. "I, I have changed my mind. I take back my endorsement of your argument." She waited again for an rebuttal from Booth but there was none. His eyes still puffy, the creases still present on his cheek from wrinkled sheets, his body warm and slow from sleep, he just stood there.

So she continued. "I've been thinking about it and a after more careful consideration and the application of the rules of science I had to return to my original belief, that intercourse is simply a biological function. Stimulation releases a succession of hormones and chemicals regardless of emotion." It may be the only time in his life but he found himself squinting as his still sleep addled brain tried to make sense of what she was saying, to see what she was seeing. There was another long pause as she wrapped the towel tighter about her shoulders, it was too wet to give any warmth anymore.

"It's predictable, Booth, even though there is some degree of individuality that applies, one can achieve fairly reliable physical responses by engaging in specific physical acts. Therefore, those who engage in pony play to enhance their moment of sexual climax essentially experience the same rush of chemicals as those that _think_ they are in love." She was eying him, waiting for his response other than the continued raising of his eyebrows. When he gave her none she continued. "I realized, as I was reviewing our conversation, that I have no scientific proof that what you say about making love is correct or incorrect. So, I can only conclude that you are _in_accurate in your assessment that making love is superior to intercourse as an act unto itself outside the confines of 'love' or the more extreme experiences of those that engage in sexual fantasy, like pony play, to heighten their sexual experience." She couldn't control the shivering no matter how tightly she pulled the towel or how vigorously she rubbed her arms.

Booth cleared his throat. "So, you came all the way to my apartment in the middle of the night to tell me I was _wrong?_"

"Well, yes. I didn't want you to think-"

"That I was right. You didn't want me to think I had won that argument when I hadn't?"

"Good, you understand." She showed signs of relief which almost made him laugh. Defensively she added to her argument. "You have _no_ proof that there's a difference between what you call crappy sex and making love. I'm not exactly sure how you would quantify an experience of emotions or label something as love, though, I have been trying, with no success, to devise a way to measure and chart-"

"You've never felt a difference?" It was an honest question and a heartbreaking realization. Booth was pretty sure she hadn't felt it, or more accurately, hadn't allowed herself to feel it. "Even with Sully?" He regretted asking it the moment it left his mouth, cringing just a little as he waited for her response.

"I believe I told you and Gordon Gordon that the sex was incredible, very satisfying." Her eyes danced as her smile clearly registered some memory of her time with him. "While I _have _felt a difference between sexual partners I would have to attribute that difference to skill level _not_ love or lack of love. Sully was a _very_ skilled lover." _Ouch,_ he thought._ Okay, maybe he deserved that one for bringing up Sully in the first place_. She shifted her weight and straightened herself. With an air of confidence only she could command she laid it on the line. "To win the argument you would have to provide me with some sort of proof that there is indeed a difference."

The corner of his mouth threatened to turn up into a satisfied grin. "You want me to prove it to you? Is that what you're saying?"

She'd moved as she was talking, so she was standing right in front of him in the tiny bathroom. "Scientifically. Yes. I'm proposing an experiment based on the hypothesis that, metaphorically speaking, two people..." With a slight shake of her head, she abandoned her own thought. "Really, if I understood you correctly, what you were saying at the diner is that the sexual experience is enhanced based on the mutual desire to connect emotionally versus those who engage in the sex act without a previous emotional connection or desire to have an emotional connection." He watched her mind work the complicated problem out loud. "I'm not really sure what system of measurement would be best. I need your help in clarifying the parameters of such an experiment." He stood, leaving nearly no space between them. She didn't flinch or move, in fact, she stared him straight in the eyes, her voice softened as her heart picked up speed at his proximity. "And of course I would need your assistance in running the experiment."

Her eyes still locked with his, the rise and fall of her chest betraying her erratic pattern of breathing. She almost hated that he had this effect on her but at he same time she found this aspect of their partnership and friendship so exhilarating, so enticing, she couldn't help but crave feeling it over and over. Maybe that's what had captured her tonight making it impossible to sleep. Maybe that craving, aroused by their conversation at the diner, had possessed her to drive to his place in the middle of the night. It ate at her as she walked around his neighborhood in a driving rainstorm wrestling with her desires, trying to talk herself out of going up to his apartment. But, here they were, like magnets held too close together. He had become almost irresistible to her, she was pulled to him.

He didn't answer her directly. His eyes darted around as he took in every inch of her soaking wet self. In their game of chicken he dodged. "You need to change out of those wet clothes. You'll never get warm like that." He slid sideways past her and out of his bathroom.

She fought her own fears. This had been a huge mistake, overwhelmed by surety that she'd completely disrupted their tenuous balance, she closed her eyes again and opened her mouth and spoke out loudly to the empty room. "I'm sorry, Booth, I was, this was, I was wrong in..." Stepping out of the bathroom to leave she ran straight into him, almost falling over in the process. He had a pair of gray sweats in his hands.

"They'll be too big on you but they're dry." He set the clothes on the counter. It was no secret that Temperance Brennan was not good with emotions but even she could label this moment as awkward. She took in a nervous breath, she'd created this between them and didn't know how to get things back to normal. Quickly she looked down and away from him as she moved to tuck a think curl of wet hair behind her ear. His hand chased hers, then finished the job for her as he smoothed her hair and traced the edge of her ear. Continuing their trail, he let his fingers slide down her jawline until he caught her chin and brought her eyes back up to his. "You change." Lingering for just a moment their eyes engaged in a familiar dance, saying silently what they couldn't say out loud. "Then we'll talk about this experiment you're planing, okay?" He nodded and waited for her to nod back, then pulled away. "Do you want something to drink?" Hollering back towards her over his shoulder as he left her standing alone in his bathroom. "Something warm?"

Standing almost paralyzed by his quick departure she took a moment before she closed the door. She striped herself of the cold wet clothes and toweled dry. She stared at the neat stack of clothes that Booth had left for her. An old gray folded sweatshirt that sat neatly on top of sweat pants. He was right they were too big. Cinching up the drawstring she tied them tightly in an effort to keep the soft pants up. They were dry and warm and smelt like Booth. Taking a deep breath she set her hand to the door. There was no turning back now, for better or worse, it had all been set in motion. Twisting the knob she left the wet clothes and bathroom behind.

From that very first case when he walked in and saw her teaching that class he knew his ship was sunk. Then he worked with her and she captured him entirely. She was fiery and bold, so damned independent. Without even skipping a beat she'd propositioned him when he fired her. And he knew, even then, that there would be something between them. It would be passionate and intense and he would never be able to resist it. But she could, she could walk away from him without a second thought which she proved that very night as she hopped into the cab and drove off leaving him standing in the rain. She held all the power and he knew it. He chuckled under his breath as he moved around his kitchen boiling water for tea. Tea he would never buy for himself, it was something he kept on hand for her.

By the end of that first case all that fiery passion had turned to anger directed entirely at him. She'd slapped him across the face then stormed off leaving him behind again. It would take a year of maneuvering to get her to work with him. It was shaky, that second time they worked together, but he wasn't going to give up, wasn't going to let her walk out of his his life. From then on if she ran he chased.

Neither of them brought up that night filled with tequila and almosts. But there were times when it was all he could do to keep himself from pushing her up against the nearest wall and letting his mouth cover hers. What stopped him? He'd gotten to know her well enough to know that if he pushed and she responded it would mean something totally different to her than to him. Eventually it would end, she didn't do long term commitment, he would lose her and most likely their partnership. It hadn't been a risk he was willing to take.

Something changed though, last year, when she dated Sully. It was then that he really came to terms with his feelings for her and lately he wondered if maybe she had feelings for him beyond that every present sexual tension. She listened to him, asked him questions and took his opinion under advisement. Their partnership had grown into a friendship, and seemed to be fated for more.

But this, an experiment? He was pretty sure it was a safe scientific way of saying she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He should tell her no, walk away, but, he wasn't sure he could. Each day it got harder to resist the urge to reach out and hold her hand, run his hand along her cheek or brush her hair back off her shoulders. Each day the little interactions they had didn't seem like enough. He wanted more. Maybe if he worked it right this could lead to more. It was dangerous, there was no doubt, and if she wanted to walk away at the end of the experiment and pretend like nothing happened he would have to accept it. Accept it or find her another partner. The gambler in him knew he would take the risk, there was no question. He brought the tea into his living room, set it down on the coffee table, and waited for her to come out.

"I figured you might like some hot tea. It'll help you warm up." He pushed the mug of steaming Sleepytime tea closer to where she was sitting at the opposite end of the couch. Pulling the cuffs of his sweatshirt down low on her hands she picked up the hot mug and blew across it.

She was beautiful and he couldn't help feel his heart twist just looking at her. He expected her to pick up the conversation where they'd left it in the bathroom but she didn't. She carefully sipped at her tea as she peered over the mug at him. He supposed that she was waiting for an answer. Would he or wouldn't he engage in her experiment and prove to her that making love was indeed different?

"You still look cold, Bones, do you need a blanket?"

"I'm fine, Booth." Lifting her tea just a little for emphasis she thanked him for making it for her and assured him that the tea was helping. There was an awkwardness settling in as they danced around the subject they both knew needed to be addressed.

"I was thinking-"

"You don't have to-"

They laughed, they had both spoken at the same time, then both apologized, then both yielded to the other person.

Booth came back to it first. "So, this experiment..." It seemed like the finale of a fireworks show in Booth's head right now. There were so many reasons this was a terrible idea and yet he opened his mouth and that was _not_ what came out. "So, what exactly did you have in mind?" He couldn't help it, there it was, his first step down the rabbit hole.

She didn't want to say it out loud, not directly, so she couched it in scientific terms. "I believe that the only way to come to a absolute resolution of the argument is for us to perform a rigorous experiment setting out to prove, by establishing specific scientific requirements and markers being either met or unmet, that emotions, particularly love in this case, has no influence on sexual pleasure. Or if I were to be proven wrong, and the markers were met, love does influence sexual pleasure and according to you breaks the laws of physics creating a sense, albeit not actual, of oneness. Thus establishing a concrete difference between, as you put it, making love and crappy sex."

Feeling the weight of the moment, he moved a little closer to her on the couch. Now, his long arm stretched out across the back of the couch. He could barely reach her shoulder. His fingertips fiddled with the seam of the sweatshirt he'd given her to wear. A stillness took over the moment.

"You want me to make love to you." There was an absolute seriousness to his tone. It had to be stated clearly, not hidden in her lofty scientific terms. If they were really going to do this, he needed her to acknowledge what she was really asking.

"In pursuit of a scientific resolution to your argument." This was awkward for her, he felt bad for that, but it needed to be said, clearly defined for what it really was. She continued cautiously. "It has yet to be determined whether it would be classified as making love or that there is in fact a difference. That would be the purpose of our pursuit, but, yes, essentially that is what I'm asking."

She took another sip of her tea as she waited for him to respond.

"So, how would this work?"

She set down the cup and moved a little towards him on the couch. "Well, what makes the difference between crappy sex and making love? We would need to specify those traits so that we can measure the difference."

Without hesitation he answered. "Connection, Bones, when two people share a connection, when they care about each other. When the sexual experience becomes about giving to the other person, a way of sharing their feelings for that person through touch, having sex becomes making love." Looking down he realized he'd picked up her hand while he'd been talking. "You're still cold." Wrapping his hands around hers he tugged on her pulling her closer bringing her hands up towards his mouth he blew his warm breath on them and rubbed them gently.

"We need a control." It was almost blurted out. "We would need to engage in a sexual act without this established connection."He'd dropped her hands in shock when he'd realized she wanted this _now._ Her fingers fell to his chest immediately drawing patterns as she talked. "So we can compare and chart the difference."

"No, that won't work." He stilled her hands by placing his overs hers and holding them to his chest.

"What? Why?" She tried to pull away like a sullen child but he held her there.

"We are already share a connection, Bones, you and me, from years of working together and we're friends, good friends. I could never just have sex with you. Besides, I wasn't done, making love is more than just connection. It's about allowing yourself to be vulnerable." He knew that would be a hard one for her and watched her reaction carefully.

"I should probably write these down." There it was, distancing and avoidance, he watched as she raised her guard.

"You don't need to write them down, you're brilliant, you'll remember. Connection, Bones, giving and accepting love, allowing yourself to be vulnerable. You'll have to be comfortable with me touching you in simple ways, like just holding you. It's not as simple as just jumping in the sack, but, you already knew that."

She did know, she'd already considered it heavily as she'd walked around Booth's neighborhood in the rain. She knew what she wanted to propose to him went against his beliefs. Some people can't sleep together, he'd told her once, too many strings, too much at stake, too much to lose. She'd walked for at least an hour weighing the possibility of strings and stakes and loss before deciding to go forward with her plan unable to hold back her desire to be with him any longer. After all, she was a scientist and he tempted her with this notion that there was something out there, something more than what she'd ever experienced. How could she resist the need to experience it for herself? He had to know she couldn't resist.

"Yes." She looked almost pained as she responded. "Booth, if you don't want to do this, if it's asking too much..." She let her voice trail off not really wanting to tell him he didn't have to do this for her, with her, but not wanting him to back out. "In the end, regardless of the results we would agree to walk away. We need to agree no commitments, no strings, just the satisfaction of having completed the experiment and knowing, scientifically, the difference, if there is one."

Booth grabbed her hand. "You're still cold." He whispered as she he turned her around and pulled her back against his chest wrapping his arms around her. She was still stiff in his arms as he gently moved her damp curls to the side and nuzzled into her neck. "And you agree, that for the sake of the experiment, that you'll let me in, let me hold you, and love you." His words whispered along her skin sent rivers of chills running down her extremities. Biology she reminded herself, it's the function of nerves to do that, to respond to stimulus.

"Yes, for the duration of the experiment. I will, I'll try. I understand you're anticipating some build up to the actual act. When do you plan on carrying out..." Dammit, he was making it hard to think and even though she was trying to remain distant she felt herself relaxing into his arms. "How much time do you need before we..."

He saved her. "I can't say. I'll know when you're ready, You'll know, it will happen when you're ready."

"Booth." She was protesting even as she settled down into his arms. "This cannot go on indefinitely. We need to be spe-"

"I won't give you a date and time, Bones, it doesn't work like that." Ready or not he was pretty sure there was no way they'd make it past a week anyways. If there hadn't been so much at stake he'd have taken her up on her offer of a control experiment, right there on the couch, right then. But he needed the time, he needed her to be open to him, to let him in, so he could give her something she wouldn't want to end in a week, something she couldn't live without. "But how about this, how about we give this a week, seven days."

"I can accept that." Finally feeling warm and safe, wrapped up in Booth, she was having a hard time staying awake. She sounded so sleepy. Booth scooted them down on the couch so they were more comfortable and pulled a blanket he kept on the back of the couch over them. She fell asleep in his arms mumbling "seven days" over and over confirming their agreement.

_**A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I am terrible at guessing! And drop by and wish craftyjhawk a happy birthday on twitter!**_


	2. Saturday

_Good Morning! And welcome to Chapter 2/Day two of Craftyjhawk's birthday season! Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews! I loved each and everyone of them! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much or more than the last! Don't hesitate to drop me a little line and let me know what you think! I'd love to know!_

_Special thanks again to SnowyBones and Givesup for their help in reading, correcting and enduring my obsessive worrying! They deserve a metal for that alone. And to my dear friend Crafty for giving us a reason to celebrate! Happy Birthday season day 2 to you!_

Chapter 2

Saturday

Stretching as she woke she felt Booth's soft couch beneath her. She remembered falling asleep in his arms, at least she thought she had. Though, now she was alone. The warm smell of coffee and pancakes filled his apartment and tempted her awake. Booth's comfortable gray sweats had become twisted around her body and legs as she slept. As she rubbed her eyes and adjusted the sweats, last night started to come back to her clearly, too clearly. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut, rolled over as she buried her face in the cushions on his couch. Pulling the blanket over her head she let out a loud groan of frustration and fear. What had she done?

Booth tugged on the blanket. "I know you're in there, Bones." There was a jovial almost taunting sound to his voice. "I know you're awake." She whimpered in response. "It's okay, Bones, we're okay." She groaned again but turned towards him keeping the blanket covering her head. He sat down on the floor by the couch, lifted the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his own head leaving the two nose to nose. Her eyes were still tightly closed. He carefully moved the hair from over her face. "Open your eyes, Bones." Tentatively she blinked and put on her strong assertive face, complete with pursed lips.

His heart raced at the intimacy of the moment. It was silly to him that this would cause such a reaction but being near her like this was almost overpowering. "To answer your questions," he started slowly. "Yes, I do remember last night when you showed up sopping wet just to let me know I was wrong." She started to interrupt, he stopped her by placing his finger on her lips. "Yes, you made your point very clear. I was wrong or at least need to prove to you the difference between crappy sex and making love. Yes, we did agree to an experiment devised for you to determine the difference. Yes, you did fall asleep in my arms."

Almost absently his finger had been rubbing gently across her lips. Her mouth now relaxed, softened as her breath fell heavy on his fingers. Just moments earlier she'd been eager to jump in and defend her position. Right now she was transfixed by his touch. "So, why don't you get up and come into the kitchen where there is some hot coffee and pancakes and fruit waiting just for you." She nodded but didn't move. He slid out from underneath the blanket leaving her still covered and headed back into the kitchen.

It didn't take her long to pull herself together and make her way to the coffee. She needed it, needed to clear her head. "Hey, you're up!" He looked cheerful. His smile warm and calming. She needed that, suddenly feeling the weight of what she'd proposed last night. The urge to run had settled deep in her being.

She sat across him at this small kitchen table. Pulling the steaming cup of coffee up to her mouth first. She blew across it. "Thank you, Booth." It was awkward at first but then habit took over. They argued over sections of the newspaper as they sipped at their coffee, traded and read sections of the paper and nibbled at breakfast. She didn't miss the fact that he checked her often as he measured her mood.

Finally, she cleared her throat, wiggled in her seat as she sat up straighter and squared her shoulders. "So, what happens next?" Booth looked up from his deep examination of the sports section. His eyes darted across her face. She thought she would faint from holding her breath before he answered. But she didn't.

"Well, Bones, in about two hours I have to meet Parker at the little league field for a t-ball game. I figured you could come with me, if you'd like. And I was hoping that tonight you would do me the honor of going on a date."

"As part of the experiment?" Her breathing showed her discomfort. Maybe she thought she would waltz in here cold and wet last night and Booth would take advantage of her offer right then and there. She would be done with it and by this morning be home having satisfied more than one scientific inquiry. No strings attached. But that wasn't how it played out. It wasn't necessarily that Booth was demanding but he had made it clear that for the experiment to be valid there were certain standards that had to be met. That was where her discomfort rested.

"Well, yeah." His voice was soft and warm, reassuring. It balanced her fretful look of complete and utter panic.

"What would the date entail?" She couldn't stay still in her chair. She made small, seemingly minor but constant adjustments as she tried to feign confidence.

Booth knew better but didn't point it out. "I don't know exactly yet, still kind of working it out in my head but I can guarantee there will be dinner involved." He smiled.

"We do dinner all the time, Booth, how would this be different?" In all her moving around the neck of the big gray sweatshirt she was wearing slipped leaving her shoulder bare. She didn't move to fix it, too wrapped up in her own anxiety.

"I suppose that you'll have to accept my offer to find out." He stood, about to clear his plate. Came to stand close and pulled the sweatshirt back up onto her shoulder, his knuckles ran across the tender skin of her shoulder and neck as he did. She looked up at him. She felt bare, like her shoulder had been. This was hard for her. He knew it, and as tenderly as he pulled back up the cloth to cover her he seemed to be making every effort to ease her insecurities and fears.

"And t-ball, with Parker, is that part of the experiment too?" His hand still rested on her shoulder. "I'm just trying to understand." She took in a halted breath. "The parameters."

He thought about it for a minute. Really he'd invited her because he wanted to spend the day with her. He wanted to show her that when you love someone you share your life with them. It was part of making love, being connected, not just by the physical act of sex but connecting to the person, to their life, whatever that may be.

"Yeah, Bones, yeah it is part of the experiment. It's a part of me and my life that I'm sharing with you. And you should pick a part of your life that you can share with me."

This was an excellent distraction, her mind immediately searching for something, some part of her life she could share with Booth. She didn't have a Parker but she could deduce that it should be something she loved, something she devoted time to, would make sacrifices for. The problem, as she quickly discovered, was that she kept coming back to work. Were her ideas personal enough? She would prefer it not be too personal but knew that Booth would insist on it.

Her thoughts played out on her face. Booth stood captivated by the flow of expressions.

"Earth to Bones." She shook her head slight as she brought her attention back to Booth. "Come on, Bones, we have to get going if we're going to get to Parker's game in time."

A quick shower and shave and he was ready to go. They buzzed by her place for her to do the same and then it was off to the ball park. They'd just parked and she started to get out when he stopped her and pulled her back to talk.

"Okay, Bones, we need to talk about some ground rules here. You know what we're talking about, right?" There was no mistaking the importance of what they were about to discuss, his tone was serious and deliberate.

"I understand."

"Over the next week I'm going to do somethings I don't normally do while we're working on this experiment, like hold your hand or give you a hug or a kiss." She was a genius, a certified genius, but sometimes the looks she gave him were so innocent and naïve, like a young girl. "But some places have to be off limits. None of that around my kid, okay? It would be too confusing for him. None of it at work or at crime scenes or places where we would see people from work. They already think we're more than partners, we don't know need to feed that fire." He caught her look of confusion. "We don't need to make things worse."

She nodded her agreement. "Oh, Okay."

"But when we're alone." His voice softened, lowered to a deep warm tone.

"Like now?" It was almost a whisper, a hopeful whisper as she found her desire for him to touch her overwhelming.

"Or when we're out somewhere just us." He reached for her hand playing with her fingers for a moment before he continued. "That's different, you know?"

His touch was mesmerizing, she couldn't think of a time when any man's touch made her heart race like this, made breathing hard, focusing impossible. Speechless, she nodded her understanding.

A loud banging on Booth's truck door snapped them almost brutally back to reality. Booth turned to see Rebecca staring at them through the drivers side window. Impatience ruled her demeanor. Down below young Parker Booth was still trying to get his dad's attention by banging on the side of the truck.

"Parker!" Tossing the small uniformed boy in the air as he greeted him. "You ready to play some ball?" He nodded vigorously, his blond curls bounced in agreement. They were almost to their assigned playing field when Booth bent down, gave him a pep talk, and offered up his knuckles for a fist pound to seal the deal.

She sat on the cold metal bleachers taking in the sights and sounds of Saturday morning little league. It was fascinating, though she didn't really understand the game the culture of it was interesting to watch. The hierarchy of parents, and children for that matter, divided by roles and skill sets. There was clearly hard fast rules and traditions. From the parent cliques and conversations to the bench placement and batting orders. It captured her. Booth sat behind her, he leaned forward to point and explain quietly in her ear as she asked question after question, only a few actually related to baseball.

When Parker's team came up to bat he would go out to the field as a base coach. Encouraging the young boys and giving direction until they moved onto the next base. Parker was quite skilled, she imagined a young Booth was similarly adept at sports. The time went much faster than she'd anticipated but then she'd enjoyed it much more than she thought she would. By the end of the game she found herself cheering with the other parents and family.

"You okay, Bones?" They were walked through the park having just said their goodbyes to Parker and Rebecca. She looked troubled.

"Just thinking." It wasn't really an answer but she was unwilling to share what she'd been thinking about. She couldn't shake the image of Booth, squatted down by his son at first base, his strong muscular hand wrapped around the young boys tummy. She'd watched as he clearly pointed her out in the stands to Parker. His little boys excitement and wonder, written so clearly across his face, as they both waved vigorously to her in the stands before turning their attention back to the game. She wished she had a picture of just that moment.

He bumped her shoulder as they walked, taking the opportunity to grab her hand.

"You know, experiment or no experiment, you can come back with me to another game." Her attention pulled to him as her eyes darted across his features. "You know, if you want to."

It was silent as they walked for just a minute, he gave her time to think, to process what he had just said. "That would be nice, Booth."

"So, if you didn't do sports what kind of things did you do? I can see you totally rocking the science fair." He chuckled a little at the thought of a young geeky Bones.

"I don't really have many childhood memories." He knew her situation but had assumed that because she was 15 years old when her parents left that she had most of her childhood memories in tact. "The ones I do have are pretty vague. I do remember competing in science fairs though. One a couple years before my parents left." She was trying to sound cheery. "I won." She cracked a faint but satisfied smile.

He stopped walking, pulled her back to him, his eyes searching hers for the sadness he knew was hidden there. She might not acknowledge it but he would. "I'm sorry, Bones." He watched as her chest rose and fell mimicking her slight fast breaths. "I'm really sorry." He had his own hidden pain and though this wasn't the time for it he knew that he'd have to bare some of that to her if he expected her to open this much to him.

The breeze was blowing her hair softly across her face, she reached to pull strands away from her mouth as she tucked them behind her ear only to have them picked up and moved back again. He carefully smoothed her hair back with his hands holding both sides of her head cradled in his palms. He wanted to kiss her. It was the only thing he could think of at the time, leaning in, he came so close but at the last minute pulled back. This was going to be harder than he thought. Originally he thought this would be a great way to teach her about love and was hopeful that it would mean more for them than a quick roll between the sheets. Now he felt himself caught in his own trap. In the end, he could see himself more hopelessly in love with her than ever while she completed the experiment unmoved. This had been more dangerous than he'd thought.

Letting his hands fall they continued their walk. "So, have you thought of something to share with me?" Pulling her lip between her teeth she hesitated.

"No, though I am not sure anything will be as enjoyable as Parker's t-ball game, that was quite fun." It was genuine, the sparkle in her eyes, her smile. He could see she'd really enjoyed it.

"It can't be sex yet, you know that right?"

"Give me some credit, Booth, I know that. I am completely aware that you control the time and place regarding the intercourse portion of the experiment."

Rolling his eyes he slumped his shoulders. "See when you put it like that, Bones, it just seems wrong." She laughed. It was funny to her.

Lunch at the diner, some shared errands, then he dropped her off at her apartment with the promise to pick her up in a couple hours for dinner.

He almost felt like a cheating husband as he planned dinner as he looked for someplace off the beaten path where no one from either of their lives would see or bump into them. In addition it would have to have a decent vegetarian menu, now that meat was off the menu. It was harder than he thought it would be but eventually he figured it out.

Still buzzing around her apartment trying to get ready she answered Booth's persistent knocking with one shoe in her hand and her dress half unzipped. Bending over to slip the shoe on her curls fell haphazardly around her face and shoulders.

"God, you're beautiful." In a court of law it might have been considered an excited utterance. Unplanned, it slipped out. She started to tip over when she looked up in answer to his comment. Catching her, she clung to his shoulder while she finished slipping on her other shoe.

"Thanks, Booth." Slightly winded, she stood before him straightening her dress as she smiled. "Can you?" She motioned to her back zipper.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Setting a bouquet of daisies down on her entry way table he closed her front door and turned his attention to her zipper. He found his hands fumbled then gently moved her hair to one side over her shoulder. Without thinking he leaned in, his lips hovered over the base of her neck. Such a beautiful tender slope. An almost imperceptible gasp had escaped her when she felt his warm breath. Quickly, he moved back and zipped up the dress. She was still standing there, frozen by the gentleness of that moment as she longed for more.

He cleared his throat and pretended nothing had happened. "You look beautiful Bones. Let's hit the road."

"Where are we going?" Booth explained his thought process and long search for the perfect place as they made their way through the streets of DC. "At first I was looking for something a little out of the city but you know I figured what are the odds anyone we know will be at Bohemian Caverns tonight, right? Jazz seemed perfect."

"I love jazz." Her excitement was evident.

"I know." He whispered softly then added with enthusiasm. "No diner tonight, Bones."

She laughed. As it turned out going on a date with Booth would be different in many ways she hadn't expected. It wasn't at all like their casual dinners at the diner. Bohemian Caverns was sultry and so dimly lit it was almost dark. The music was low and smooth. When they finished eating Booth moved his chair close to hers so they could watch the stage together. His arm hung casually behind her on the chair. Every once in awhile she'd feel his fingers trace slight circles on her shoulder or fiddle with the hem of her capped sleeve. If he wanted to wait to actually fulfill the requirements of the experiment this seemed like the wrong place to come. Everything about this night seemed like foreplay.

Without asking he took her hand and pulled her to the dance floor, joining a few other couples as they swayed, losing themselves in the music. She felt herself melting into him, his arms adjusted holding her closer and more carefully.

Breaking the silence, she let her index finger tap his chest as she tried to get his attention. "You know, more data is always better when conducting a scientific experiment." She was speaking directly against his skin. Her whispers made her lips brush the sensitive skin of his ear and neck. "If we run our experiment tonight we could conceivably rerun the experiment multiple times before the week is up. It would make our findings solid." Pushing her hips against his she punctuated the end of her thought. He groaned as he let his hand trace the curve of her waist and hips.

"You're evil."

She smiled.

"The answer's still, no."

"Booth." She was exasperated. He couldn't help laughing at the speed at which she changed from seductress to perturbed.

"Booth, this is not funny." Whacking his arm out of frustration she reprimanded him.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his arm dramatically.

She was quiet on the ride home. It seemed like every conversation he started died out quickly with one word answers and long pauses. Until finally she let out a long heavy sigh. "Booth, I don't have a Parker."

"What?"

Adjusting herself awkwardly in her seat she turned to face him. "I don't have a Parker to share with you like you shared Parker with me today."

"It doesn't have to be a person, Bones." Nodding she turned back to look thoughtfully out the passenger window at the blurred city lights.

"I know." But she was still upset. "I have my work and you, you're a part of my work. You already know that. We already share that."

"You're thinking too hard, Bones, just something that's special to you or something you like doing. I don't know, but I know you'll think of something."As if it were at all possible, things seemed to get even quieter between them.

"Okay, I will." She turned back to him. "What time are you free tomorrow?"

"About 3:00ish. I take Parker to mass on Sundays and then we go to the diner for brunch and then I take him back to Rebecca's."

"Oh, okay." She sounded hurt. Though she would never mention it to Booth she was afraid she had done something wrong today that made him not want to share this with her also. Splitting his attention between her and the road he looked frantically back and forth trying to understand what was going on with her.

"You can come if you want I just figured-"

"No, no that's you're special time with him."

"I really don't mind sharing it with you Bones. In fact, I would love to share it with you. I just figured that religion wasn't really your thing. I didn't want to pressure you."

"No, it's okay, really. I would rather use the time to prepare...Why don't I make you dinner?" He wasn't sure at all it was as okay as she was trying to play it off as.

"That's a perfect thing to share, Bones." he sounded excited. "So you're house then?"

"Maybe, I'll let you know."

He walked her up to her apartment and followed her in at her request. She told him what a wonderful time she'd had. He told her again how beautiful she looked, how much he enjoyed her company. They fumbled at goodbyes caught in the awkwardness of being partners, friends, and toying with the idea of lovers, if only for the sake of science, of course. He was about to leave when she asked him to help her with her zipper before he went. He smiled and winked.

"Evil."

But he turned her around and reversed the process of it all. The long fluid sound followed his hand down the length of her back. He hadn't really planned on kissing her good night but at the moment it seemed like something he had to do. Turning her again in his arms, his hands slipped in around her tiny bare waist. Pulling her sharply to him he took her lips as he covered them with his own. Her long smooth moan vibrated in his mouth as he kissed her. Finally, tearing himself away he backed out the door.

"Tomorrow, 3:00, let me know where." And he was gone.


	3. Sunday

Chapter 3

Day 3: Sunday

She looked nervous as she clutched the well worn boot box in her lap and tried to explain.

"I didn't know what to share, Booth."

Watching her carefully he tried to reassure her that whatever she'd picked would be enough. After all, it wasn't a test. There was no grade or pass/fail thing going on. It didn't help. Nervously she fiddled with the old string wrapped tightly around the box to keep the lid on.

"I know but you shared something very special with me and I want to share something of equal importance with you." Nodding, he tried to reaffirm her. He had a feeling that what was about to come out was going to be far above his original expectations.

"So, whatcha got in there, some old bones or something."

She tried to laugh it off but she was nervous. "More along the lines of, 'or something.'"

Still gripping the box firmly she tried to explain. "I thought about sharing some bones with you. I have a collection of bones I use for teaching, they have very specific injuries on them. They are quite fascinating. I thought I might share my the military collection with you. I have bones dating back to before the Crusades all the way through our more modern conflicts. Each exhibits the injuries left on bones from weapons common in those conflict."

Her mind back on the safe ground of science, he watched her relax as she explained. "They're at the Jeffersonian locked away down in limbo. I bring them out for my grad students to study. Learning to see and even feel the subtlety of bone injuries isn't easy. These bones help. I thought you might..." Her voice trailed off.

"I would love that. You know me well, Bones." A warm smile met her nervous eyes. Quickly she looked back down at the box in her lap.

"I realized, though, that sharing the bones was more like sharing something_ for _you because it would interest you rather than sharing something close to me. Although, admittedly, they are a prized possession they aren't..."

Again, her words trailed off. He quietly reached out and put his hand over hers, he hoped it would calm her. The sun was setting and warm rich light streamed in her windows. She looked so worried and nervous. He hadn't meant for her to take this challenge so seriously. It was supposed to be fun and lighthearted, something that helped them get past being friends and partners, something that connected them on another level.

Squeezing her hand lightly to show solidarity and support he whispered her name to get her attention. "Temperance." Her eyes, which had darted all over the room, taking in just about everything but him, finally connected with his. It was jarring. "Whatever this is, in this box, you don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable. I don't want to push you like that. Hell, you made me dinner, my favorite dinner. That counts as sharing something wonderful right there." He smiled warmly at her.

A deep gasping breath, a nod as acknowledgment, he could feel her pulse race where his hand laid carefully over her wrist.

"Thank you." There was a long pause, those stormy eyes of hers held his heart. "I need to share this with you. I want to." He moved his hand as she tugged on the strings to set free it's contents.

"This box has been with me since family services came to pick me up from my house when I was fifteen. I was allowed to take just a few things, I gathered what I could quickly. Some clothes and books and pictures, memorabilia. It unintentionally became a memory box, important things I didn't want to lose or forget I put in here."

A soft smile turned the edges of her lips, she knew he would recognize a few things in the box. Without having to say a word their presence in the box would mean something to him. Lifting the lid she pushed the box towards Booth.

"Bones." He was speechless, so honored by her gesture. Taking the box carefully he set it on the coffee table in front of him and slid off the couch so he was sitting on the floor.

The first item he remembered. Well weathered pieces of an old belt and dolphin belt buckle. Holding it gingerly he let his thumbs run over the delicate carved design. He'd watched her do the same when they'd realized the bones she'd been identifying from limbo were those of her mother.

"I remember this." He acknowledged their shared memory of that time. She nodded. Not exactly sure how to handle each item he looked to her for some kind of cue. Did she want to talk about it or just acknowledge it? She was quiet, just watched as his hands traced the intricate designs. There were several dolphin items that Max had given his wife. This one had been buried with her. This one held personal memories for Bones, one of the few memories she retained from her childhood. He set it down carefully on the table next to the box and reached in again.

Still seated on the couch she scooted closer to him and peered over the rim of the box to see what he pulled out next. Her hands were clasped together resting on her knees. Long thin delicate fingers folded carefully in anticipation.

He brought out a small handful of pictures of various sizes and shapes. All of them seemed faded, some yellowed with time. They seemed so much smaller, dwarfed by his large hands. He thumbed through them. She was so young in all of them. They all seemed up close, nothing to identify time or place was evident in any of the pictures. They'd been on the run, he reminded himself, a life purposefully devoid of detail. He hesitated to ask the context.

"Most of them I'm unsure of. I can tell you about how old I was and a few memories associated with that age."

Taking the pictures she shuffled through them quickly. "This was the first day of high school." She pointed out the belt buckle she'd tried to hide under a her blouse. Touching the picture reverently she pointed out the bright shiny belt. They laughed over her youthful attempt to be sneak her mother's belt. "She had to have known I was wearing it."

A couple more pictures and there was her and Russ and her mom on the beach. One from when she was just a toddler on Russ' lap at Christmas. She took great care in how she held and described each picture to Booth. Some he'd seen duplicates of in the FBI file on her parents. There weren't many pictures of her childhood, not even a handful really. Carefully, he set the pictures down and reached back into the box.

"Let's see here, a box within a box." In his hand he held a small white box like you might put jewelry in as a gift. It was old, dirtied with age. He opened the box to find nothing. Turning to her he sought and explanation.

Letting out a deep sigh she started to explain. "Remember that science fair I told you about yesterday?" He did and nodded his affirmation. "I won." He watched the fond memory dance over her expression. "My mom was there with me, it was, it was one of my clearest memories of her." Her face lit up with excitement and joy as she told the story's beginning then fell, sad and distant, as she continued. "I lost the medal when I was in foster care. Well, I should clarify. It became lost to me." Booth looked confused. "I think it was taken from me." She shook her head as if trying to make sense of it all. "Either way, it's lost to me."

Booth's eyebrow shot up as he waited for her to tell more of the story.

Taking in a shuddered breath she reached for the empty box running her fingers along the edges as she continued. "They were my first foster family. When I got there they said they wanted to know all about me. I shared many things with them, more than I think they really wanted to know. I included my win at the science fair." She became awkward and unsettled the more of the story she told. "They thought I was trying to assert myself as being better than them. That really wasn't my intention but they felt my intelligence, my grades and accomplishments, were offered as a way to make them feel less than or inferior, which wasn't true." Her head dropped, her focus riveted to her hands in her lap.

"I'm not good at that, I don't understand it, never have. He lifted her chin gently bringing her focus back to him. "I believe they took the medal, though I have no proof. They asked to see it again and when I went to look for it, it was gone. I tried to find it. They thought it was funny. Maybe I did lose it, I really don't know." She saw his worried look and tried to sooth it. "I have the box though."

He carefully returned the lid to the box and set it by the pictures. "Let's see, what else we have in here." He hoped for something lighter, a happier memory. "Hmmmm, a man's cufflinks, bet there's an interesting story behind these. She blushed, as a satisfied look overtook her.

"I'm not sure you want to hear this story, my sexual experiences tend to bother you." She poked at him verbally, teased his jealous spirit.

"I'm curious. Was it recent?"

"No. It was years ago."

"Okay, go ahead and tell me, I have to know."

Reaching over she plucked the cufflink from his hand and dangled it between them. "I was twenty-two years old and while I had offers I had yet to experience sexual intercourse."

His eyebrows shot up. "You were a virgin until you were twenty-two?" He couldn't hide his shock.

"Virgin is such an antiquated religious term." Her mouth turned, like she'd eaten something sour. "But, yes, I was." He was clearly shocked by her confession and humored by her discomfort with the term virgin. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Yes, of course." He leaned back, his head resting on the couch, turned to take her in as she animatedly offered up her past.

"He was a man..." She started but then stopped taken by his obvious amusement. Though they had talked many times about her sex life, too many for his liking, he'd never seen her look so young and flustered. A shy satisfied smile beamed back at him as she finally continued telling him her story. "I waited until I had found someone who I thought could give me a skillful introduction."

"A skillful introduction? To sex?"

"Yes." She offered up defensively. "It's a biological process, Booth, having someone that knew and understood how to evoke those reactions increased my odds of having a favorable experience."

"I'm sorry, Bones, I just, it just shouldn't be about skill especially that first time." Rolling towards her, he took stray curl between his fingers, twisted and let it fall across his hand. "It should be about desire and love and passion." Their faces drew close together. Cradling her cheek with one hand he let the side of his face rub up against hers until their lips brushed into a kiss. He made his way back to her ear, nuzzling into her."You should feel swept away." He whispered into her ear. It took her a few good breaths to get control back.

"Anyways." She cleared her throat as she tried to regain control. "He was the head of the Social Studies Department. I was his teacher's assistant. He brought me home to my apartment after a Department formal dinner. He was wearing a tux and I was in a formal gown. I felt swept away, it was very sensual." She dangled the shiny cufflink in front of him letting it settle back in his hand. "I found the cufflink when I was cleaning some months later and kept it."

He tossed it in the air, caught it, then set it carefully on the table. He dug back into the box and pulled out a simple brown rosary with wooden beads. He turned back to Bones confused.

"It was given to me by a family in El Salvador." He held the rosary as she fiddled with the simple wooden cross that dangled at the end. "It was a thank you for my work. I went down there to identify victims of the death squads." Something flashed in her eyes, a fear and determination, that begged further questioning. Reaching for her with his free hand he offered her support.

"It was bad down there." She searched his eyes unsure how much to share. Taking in a long breath she decided to reveal a little more than she'd planned. "I was kidnapped and held hostage for three days."

"Bones, I -"

"Booth, I'm okay, really, I am. It made me stronger."

He nodded, quietly as he put the rosary down. He studied her worried that maybe they should stop, call it a night.

"I'm fine, really." She reached in this time and pulled out a small round casino chip and placing it in his hand.

He chuckled, flipping the chip in the air and caught it. Raising his hips off the floor and maneuvering his hand into his pocket he scrambled around until he found what he was looking for and pulled out one similar, just much older.

"Vegas, baby!"

She took both chips in her hands as she examined them closely for differences. "It was a good case, right? I enjoy our undercover work very much." Her eyes lit up, sparkled.

"Uhhh, that little black dress and Roxy. You were, wow, you were very hot, Bones. I didn't think I was gonna make it through that case without, wow, it it was hard."

She laughed, bumping his shoulder. "You were pretty hot yourself, Tony." They laughed and shared stories back and forth. It was a good break from some of the weightier topics of the evening.

Then he took the chips back in his hand, put hers on the pile of memorabilia, and shoved his back in his pocket. Curiosity got the better of him, he bumped her shoulder, and asked. "So, do you still have that dress?"

She giggled. "Yes."

"Okay, let's see here." A folded up piece of paper that looked like it'd been torn from a book was next. It looked dirty but not too old. He started to unfold it thinking that maybe it was a page from her first book but she grabbed it from him.

"I can't, that's, I can't share that yet." He started apologizing but she cut him off. "It's not you. It's me. Maybe later, you know, but not tonight."

"It's okay, Bones, it's yours. I hope you don't feel like you have to share any of this if you don't want to."

"No, no, I want to share. I chose to share this box with you but this I can't. Not right now." She tucked the folded paper back in the box. She picked the next item. Pulling out an old smooth soled tennis shoe she turned it over and showed it to Booth. It had only been about a year since he asked if she kept a list like the foster kid they'd questioned. He looked stunned. Reaching for the shoe he held it like a prized possession. He couldn't help but think of his partner young, alone. His finger traced the faint writing on the bottom of the shoe. Easterbeck, Hayward, Wilson, Brant, Stuart, five names in all, five homes that didn't want her, that said she was too much work or too difficult. Homes and families that didn't work out.

"Were they abusive, these homes?" She flinched.

"Yes." She forced a breath in her lungs, forced it out again. "Yes, some of them were."

Setting down the shoe he wrapping his arm around her, pulled her into his side, into safety. Holding her tightly he added a confession of his own.

"My dad, was a drunk, a mean one."

She was shocked by the confession.

"My mom, she left, couldn't take the abuse. She did the right thing for her. He nearly killed her more than once."

"She left you?"

"Yeah."

"Booth."

"I'm sorry, you've just, you've shared so much tonight, I just felt like I needed to tell you, you know, something personal, about me. Let you know you weren't alone, you know?"

He picked back up the shoe, stared at the hand writing he'd read in notes and paperwork everyday over the last several years. "Which was the worst?"

Without any hesitation she responded. "Easterbeck." She let out a long sigh. "It was bad."

She offered nothing else, no details, no explanations. He didn't require any. That was a discussion for another day, another night. They held each other for a long time and then Booth moved to start putting the items back in the box only to discover one more item rolling around, I small pink plastic pig.

Booth smiled. While the seeing the casino chip among her memories was special it was a reminder of shared experiences. This, this was something he gave her that held such importance to her that she kept it with her most prized possessions.

"Jasper." His voice soft and low as if he was greeting a long lost friend.

"My pet pig." She answered softly.

It was late by the time the box was put back together, tied tightly, and back in her personal safe. She put up a good front but Booth was worried about her. That was a lot to open up about in one night. She felt a little raw to him, very vulnerable. He worried about leaving her like this, it didn't seem fair to ask her to be so open then leave her defenseless. Or maybe she wasn't, maybe he just felt the need to protect her now because he couldn't then.

He feigned exhaustion and asked if it would be alright if he stayed the night on her couch. He could leave early and go home to get ready for work. Of course, she said yes but insisted he take the guest room and a real bed, which he accepted gladly.

Tossing and turning, he couldn't sleep. No matter where his thoughts started the ended with her held captive by guerrilla forces in Central America or taken advantage of by an older more experienced college professor. Visions of her beaten or worse by foster families who had taken her in under the guise of providing a nurturing home seemed inescapable. It's probably the only reason he was awake to hear her scream. It wasn't that loud, he definitely would have missed it had he been sleeping, and she only screamed once.

He bolted for the door and into her room, not even thinking to knock or ask permission. He was at her bedside immediately. Fearful eyes looked up at him, covered in sweat, she panted hard as she choked and gasped for air.

"I'm here, I'm here, okay? Nothings going to hurt you. I won't let it, okay, Bones? Understand?" She was in his arms immediately as he continued to reassure her, talk to her in hushed calming tones. She clung to him, clinched fists full of his t-shirt. No matter how tightly he held her the only thing she said was, "tighter." It came out like a plea for the safety he offered her.

He crawled into bed with her wrapping his strong, sure body around her quaking frame. "I won't leave, okay? I'm right here, baby, I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Softly she begged. "Tighter."

_**A/N Okay...honestly did you think this would all go smoothly – if it did it would surely not be a story about Booth and Brennan, right?! How do you think she'll react when she wakes up in the morning wrapped in Booth? **_


	4. Monday

Day 4: Monday

Booth heard the alarm but it wasn't his, somewhat disoriented he slowly woke as he forced his eyes open then let them fall closed. He repeated the process over and over until the world came into focus. He was in her bed. She was still in his arms, though now they were loosely entangled. It had been a hard night but eventually they had both found decent sleep.

He was trying to figure out where her alarm was so he could stop the incessant buzzing when she leaned across his chest as she reached to turn it off. He couldn't control the deep satisfied groan that escaped as her body slid over his sensitive morning skin. His hands rose up to shadow and support her waist and hips.

She pulled back from turning off the alarm and stared down at him, her hair falling around her face. He tried to hold it back, his hands smoothed and tucked so he could see her eyes. They were stormy, always stormy, but what started out as a soft appreciative look turned quickly to embarrassed and panicked. He tried to stop it, stop her from running, but it was too late, she was gone before she ever left the bed.

"Bones."

She buzzed through the kitchen, focused on making coffee, getting breakfast, routine, routine, routine. Nothing broke her intense focus. He stood in the middle of her living room in his boxers and t-shirt as she passed frantically back and forth from one end of her apartment to the other getting ready.

"Bones."

"I'm getting ready for work, Booth, you should be getting dressed too. I hate being late, you know that."

"Bones. Dammit. Stop."

"I'm not going to stop, I have to go. If you have a problem we will have to discuss it later." She brushed past him again.

"If I have a problem? Seriously?" He'd had enough. Finally he caught her. Holding her by both shoulders he tried to make eye contact. "I don't have a problem. I am fine with what happened last nig-"

"Nothing happened last night." There was an honest confusion spread across her delicate features.

"I meant the nightmare, Bones, I know nothing happen, happened last night. I meant that you shouldn't be embarrassed or upset that I saw you like that, vulnerable, just waking up from a nightmare."

Instantly her walls were back up. "I'm fine."

"You won't even look at me – if it's not the nightmare tell me what it is. Please, I want to know. I need to know."

He stared straight into a stunning wall of blue, her eyes fixed, stubborn, and unyielding. She tried to move away from him, soft but firm she reiterated her mantra. "I have to go to work."

"I'll call Cam. I'll tell her you're running late. That I needed you to come by the Hoover to finish some paperwork or something. _This _is more important." He could be stubborn too.

"My work is important. Are you saying my work isn't important?" He could see her mounting fear as she twisted his words into something unrecognizable. Trying a different tact he made one more attempt at getting past her walls.

"I'm not saying it isn't. Of all people, I'm your partner, no one knows more than I do just how important your work is. What I'm trying to tell you is you aren't alone in this. I have them too."

She didn't know how to process that. He saw the confusion written across her face

"I have them too." He said it again hoping it would sink in. "Nightmares, night terrors, whatever you want to call them. I have them too."

Her eyes darted across his tender face, he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed after a horrible nights sleep. Dark circles under his eyes, thick stubble, he looked exhausted.

"I have them too." He said it again. "I wake up in a sweat or screaming. Someone's died, I've killed them or I couldn't save them." He nudged her chin as he tried to pull her focus. "Look at me." Closing his eyes he put it all on the line. "Sometimes it's my unit and I watch them all get blown to hell. Sometimes it's my mom and brother and I can't stop my father. I can't save them." His voice lowered, softened. "Sometimes it's you. Sometimes Kenton has you and I'm too late." Barely a whisper now. "I have them too."

"Booth."

"I'm not done, listen. Sometimes in the middle of the night when I can't get back to sleep I text you or drive by to make sure you're home and safe. I just never told you, I've never told anyone."

"Booth." They leaned on each other, foreheads touching. "I need to think. I just need to think."

"Okay." He let her go. He got dressed, gathered his belongings, and went home to shower.

He didn't hear from her all day. He called and left messages, texted, and got nothing in return. By the time he was done at work he was done waiting to hear from her. _Screw the experiment_, he thought. He'd only agreed to it because he thought – hell, he didn't know what he was thinking. At the moment he felt like a dumb-ass for ever agreeing to that damned thing. He knew they'd be a hot mess if they had a meaningless fling. He'd always known that. He knew going into this it was risky, too risky, obviously. Some people you just can't sleep with, he'd told her once. There's too much at stake, too much to lose. Right now he felt like he was about to lose it all.

The dings and sliding doors greeted him but when he went to her office it was dark and empty.

"She's not in there, big guy."

"Oh, hey, Ange." He shuffled a bit having no idea what Bones may have shared with her best friend about their experiment. "Do you know where she is?"

"Limbo, all day. You know her, she gets in these snits and has to disappear for a day or two to find herself in her bones." Angela seemed accepting and casual of Bones' behavior. This led him to believe she didn't know anything about their experiment. He was pretty sure if she'd known she'd have slapped him or lectured him on being an ass for agreeing to Brennan's lightly veiled excuse to get him in the sack.

He nodded in agreement. "Did she eat?"

She shook her head, no. "I tried, I took her down food at about 2:00 but I'm betting she hasn't touched it.

"Thanks." He motioned over his shoulder, pointing towards limbo as he turned to walk away. "I'll try and get her to eat and see if I can't break her free for the night."

Angela chuckled. "Good luck with that."

When he got down to limbo he couldn't find her at first, not in the obvious places anyways. Long isles and what seemed like endless dark corners later her silhouette came into view. She had stacks of bone bins out. They surrounded two sterile work tables. One table covered in what seemed like random bones. The other, a carefully laid out skeleton. An instrument tray, pushed off into the corner, held her untouched lunch.

He paused to watch her almost hoping she hadn't seen him yet. He loved watching her work. There was an elegant fluidity to it, like she was in a sort of graceful dance with the bones.

She didn't look up or acknowledge him in anyway so he thought he'd gone undetected. Then, without saying a word, she motioned for him to come over. She shoved a pair of gloves at him. He put them on. In all their time as partners he'd never really handled bones. Hell, he wasn't even allowed to touch the table. It was her thing, everything here was her thing.

He stood strong and silent waiting for her directions. She didn't offer any at first, just a lecture.

"These bones, right here, all came from soldiers." She motioned to the table with multiple bones on it. These must be the bones she was talking about last night. Her collection of remains from various wars and conflicts.

"All of them died of their injuries. I know that, do you know _how_ I know that?" He didn't speak, he knew her, it was more of a rhetorical question. "No remodeling. Their wounds never healed." She shoved a bone into his hands. "Feel that? That is damage from a cannon during the American Civil War." She exchanged the bone in his hands for another. "And that? From and IED only a year or so ago. See how different it is. And this? A bomb from world war II. That's why we keep these bones. The wounds alone can date a soldier's bones. They can tell us almost everything about how they lived, what they experienced, and how they died."

He was her captive audience. Bone after bone, lesson after lesson. He held and felt each mark, each wound. Some were harder to hear about than others. She saw him flinch more than once at her description of injuries. He knew them, he'd seen them, seen the effects of them first hand as a soldier himself. He'd never shared the details with her of his combat experiences. He didn't have to, she knew.

She was trying to tell him something. He was trying to hear it, pull it from between the scholarly lecture and object lessons. All these soldiers, all with wounds that never healed.

She turned sharply, like he imagined she would with a group of grad students. "This is Sir Edward. I call him that but really I don't know his name. He is from the middle ages. He must have been an amazing warrior. She picked up a bone and handed it to Booth guiding his fingers to where she wanted him to feel. "Do you feel that?" He shook his head, no. "Well, I know you can see these." She pulled him over to the bones. Bent over, she pointed carefully and precisely to different marks on the bones. "See, these are all remodeled and the amazing thing is they are all from different battles, all these wounds show different stages of remodeling. All those battles, not one of them killed him." She turned her attention back to the table with multiple bones. "Where those young men, most of them didn't survive their first battle." She turned her attention to the bone in his hands. "Can you feel it?"

He didn't. He ran his gloved fingers over and over the spot that she showed him. She was frustrated that he wasn't feeling it, frustrated that he couldn't understand what she was trying to say to him. "Try to run your finger lightly, barely skimming the bone. You may be pressing too hard. Can you feel it?" She asked him again.

Swallowing hard, he shook his head, no.

She looked almost desperate for him to understand. Reaching for his hands she peeled the gloves off then put his hand back on the bone. He gasped and looked almost panicked at what he knew to be an offense.

"It's okay, Ed is one of my teaching skeletons. Sometimes you have to feel the bones, really feel them with your bare hands to realize there is something there that the eye can't see, that you can't feel through the gloves.

Gingerly she set his fingers back on the bone and ran his calloused fingers over the bone. He still couldn't feel it.

"Close your eyes." He looked at her confused. How was he supposed to see or feel what he was looking for with his eyes closed. "Close them." It was a command. He shut his eyes as she guided his fingers back to the section of bone where she wanted his attention. "Just feel it." And he did. The smallest of ridges, barely noticeable at all. His eyes popped open in wonder and awe. He got it, he understood.

"See, you felt it." All day she'd avoided him. Now she stared directly into to his eyes. "You found what everybody missed."

"I see it, Bones, I do. I see it." He set the bone down carefully with the neatly ordered skeleton and took a step towards her. She stepped towards him and somewhere in the middle they met.

"I see it." Stepping a little closer he pulled her in. "I've always seen it." He carefully placed one hand on her chest over her heart the other wrapped lightly around her, holding her close. It was warm and calming. She closed her eyes and let herself feel the weight of his touch. "You know what I see? I see you, a warrior, injured but never broken. You're here and you're strong, so strong that no one sees how badly you were hurt."

"But you saw it."

"I did. I do, Bones, and I'm not going anywhere. I saw it and I'm still here."

He let his forehead fall to hers, held her loosely in the middle of her world, surrounded by her bones.

Booth watched as she methodically put each bin carefully back in bone storage. Then she closed the metal cage that surrounded these specific bins of bones, her personal teaching collection, slipped a lock through the latch and closed it.

She went willingly to dinner, they laughed and talked. Their normal banter floated in through the air around them at the diner and in the truck as they drove. There was no further discussion of her nightmare or her cryptic message given to him through a lecture on bone injuries until he stood with her outside her apartment.

"Do you need me to stay?" The look in his eyes, the deep concern, she knew what he was talking about.

"No, I'm fine, Booth." She was still held captive by his eyes. They searched hers to make sure, to double check. "I'm just tired."

"If you need me-"

"I'll call, but really, I'm fine." And maybe she was after all, there was a sense that as she set all those bins straight and locked them away she was pushing it all back under lock and key. Regardless, he had to accept it. They made plans to grab dinner and spend the evening together the next day. He lingered, not wanting to leave. She let him, not ready for him to go. But in the end a quick kiss and he was gone.

It felt like they were moving backwards. The door closed, he stuck his hands deep in his pockets, his thumb rubbed the casino chip over and over as he walked back out to his truck.

_**A/N I can't believe we are already four days into Crafty's birthday season! Time flies when you're having fun and I am definitely having fun! :) **_

_**Thanks again to all those reading, and those leaving reviews. I am a nervous writer, as my dear friend Craftyjhawk can attest. Your reviews mean the world to me! **_

_**Special thanks to Snowybones and Givesup as well as my twitter friends and my husband for enduring my nervousness about this particular chapter well! Hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it!**_


	5. Tuesday

Seven Days chapter 5

Chapter 5

Day 5: Tuesday

A text in the morning. Another confirming their plans in the late afternoon. An unmistakable raised eyebrow from Angela as she left work not just on time but early. And here she was standing in front of her closet trying to pick out something to wear. She shouldn't be nervous, they were just going to walk the farmers' market held down the street from her apartment every Tuesday night then come back to her place for the evening. But for some reason what to wear seemed like all she could think about.

She was still trying to decide when Booth knocked on the door. She grabbed the closest shirt, pulled it over her head quickly as she raced to the door, and answered still settling her shirt on her hips.

"Hey." Booth smiled warmly at her.

"Hey." She answered back. She slipped out the door and went to lock it behind her. She almost stopped breathing when she felt him close behind her. His hands gently gathered her hair from inside the collar of her shirt and pulled it out to fall free on her shoulders. She'd been in such a hurry to answer the door that she'd forgotten to pull it out. She paused for a moment and leaned back into him before they set out for the evening.

There was something magical about the market. The cool air of the evening, the tiny twinkling lights strung across the small open air plaza. It was transforming, the busy city seemed to slip away replaced by the intimate feel of a small community. They laughed and talked their way through a wonderful fresh dinner collected from several different vendors. They walked and talked down the thoroughfare of crafters and artisans. He took her hand. She smiled at him feeling the warmth of his larger hand completely usurp her smaller one. It was easy and familiar, though for the life of her she couldn't remember this ever happening before.

Booth by booth they explored together. Hand woven baskets, naturally dyed silk scarves, hand knitted monsters and zombies, were some of her obvious favorites. He bought her a fat little pointy toothed monster named Joe promising her that such a fellow could surely protect her when he wasn't there. But what caught her eye was the jewelry. She had always collected necklaces and earrings of every kind from all over the world. These necklaces had handmade little ceramic jars and glass bottles said to hold secrets. So small and yet the jars were usable. They had a tiny cork that could be removed to put any number of things inside.

The vendor, who called herself Sofia, looked like a gypsy fortune teller. Every movement she made accentuated by the jiggle of her dangling hooped earnings and what looked like hundreds of thin metal bracelets. In the middle of her explanation of the secret jars she stopped cold and stared at the couple.

"You two hold great secrets, I can see." They both chuckled as they dismissed the lady and her flamboyant salesmanship. "No, no, no, I am _not_ fooling. You hold secrets _for_ each other. I can see that. Things you've done, things that happened to you that no other person on this Earth knows." Booth moved in closer to Bones, sheltering her with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. The old lady looked sideways at the couple as if she were sizing them up. "You also hold secrets _from_ each other, that's not good. Comings and goings, imagined plots, passions." She pointed a scolding finger at them. "Those secrets are what this jar is for. You let them go, you share them, let the spirit of them be captured. Then your love will grow."

"That's not real." It sounded almost like Bones was shaken by the old ladies assessment. "It's just superstition. Though I will have to admit the jars make beautiful jewelry." They scanned the collection of miniscule jars and bottles. Some had ancient lettering, some were clear, some had tiny painted flowers but when Booth saw the miniature skull and crossbones he couldn't resist.

The woman looked at her with soft understanding eyes. "We often fear what we don't understand, my dear. The sun rises and sets on those that believe in it as well as those who don't."

Booth bought her the necklace. Gathering her hair to one side he carefully wrapped the necklace around her and latched it as he tucked the instructions for the enchanted secret keeper into his pocket for later.

It wasn't long before the music stopped and the vendors packed up for the night. The magic of the evening came to a close as they walked their way back to her apartment. Booth couldn't help notice the far off look in her eyes, like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve and she saw the end of a beautiful night. He squeezed her hand, pulled out the paper from his pocket, and held it up.

"We should do this."

"Booth, it's not real you know that right?" He could be so superstitious.

"I know." His smile lit up his eyes. "I know it's not real, but the secrets we share would be." He bumped her lightly with his shoulder. "Come on, Bones, it'll be fun. There's a list of ideas we'll just follow that."

She looked skeptically at him but agreed.

It wasn't long before they were back at her apartment. She went to change and while she was out of the room he poured them each a drink, dimmed the lights, and lit a few candles. She stopped short when she walked back in the room. Surprised by his setting of the mood. Suddenly she felt a little too casual, in her yoga pants and a comfortable t-shirt. The low cut V of the shirt showed off the dangling little skull jar. He thought she was perfect and smiled warmly as he handed her a glass of wine.

"You ready?" He asked as he pulled out the instructions. "It says here that we should do a cleansing ritual on the room before we begin." Her eyebrow shot up in disapproval. He chuckled. "I'm just kidding, Bones, though if this thing is going to hold our secrets I guess we need to open it." He waited for a minute while she fumbled through trying to get the cork out while still wearing the necklace, then flopped her arms down in frustration.

"Maybe it's already full." She mused unable to pull the tiny cork out herself.

He reached over, his large fingers brushed clumsily against her chest as he tried to take the cork out of the bottle. After several tries he pulled it out and set it in a decorative dish on her coffee table.

"Okay, let's see here. This is actually kind of cool, Bones, it says to write the secrets down on paper then burn them after we've shared them and put the ashes in the jar." It was late, her head flopped down on the back of her couch telling Booth very clearly that it would be too much work. "Well, how about this, we'll burn this little paper and put it in the jar." Her eyes said that was ridiculous. "We have to come up with someway of sealing the secrets we put in the jar."

"It's a myth, Booth, the secrets, burned or otherwise, aren't going to reside in the this jar and any sealing of them would really be a promise between us to keep them."

"Help me out here, Bones."

"Oh, okay." She reached out and touched his arm letting her hand linger. "Traditions to seal an oath or agreement. There's the legend of the Odin Stone. A stone monolith that stood near the Standing Stones of Stenness on the isles of Orkney just North of Scotland. The stone had a whole in it and tradition was for those entering into an agreement or oath to stand on either side of the monolith and reach through it to shake hands, binding their agreement."

"The Odin Stone? In Scotland?" He shook his head.

"Well, it no longer exists. It was destroyed in 1833 though it is believed that pieces of the stone were still in existence until around the time of World War II."

"Bones, we aren't in Scotland or on the Island of the Orcs."

"Orkney, Booth. Oh, here is one from your bible." The mischievous look in her eye worried him. "When Abraham's servant swore an oath to go and find Issac a wife it says that he swore by putting his hand under Abraham's thigh. The thigh was the symbol of posterity and therefore of great importance to the Hebrews. It is believed that a more accurate interpretation of thigh was loins."

She started to define the word loin for Booth who insisted she stop when she started to talk about testicles. He assured her that he knew what loin meant so she continued. "The Abrahamic covenant was a promise from God to Abraham of a large posterity. The servant was swearing on that covenant, which was very serious, and he showed his dedication by placing his hand on Abraham's loins." The glint in her eye, her Cheshire cat grin, he knew what was coming next. "Although I don't believe in your bible I would happily place my hand on your loins thereby entering into an oath with you to keep these secrets between us."

The offer wasn't even completely out of her mouth before Booth started shaking his head, "no" as he reached for his scotch and took a drink.

"Really, Bones, no. Look, I was just thinking we could come up with something to seal our secrets that's just ours. Something fun, quick, easy." Without thinking he found himself fiddling with the skull where it lay on her chest.

Distracted by the feel of his fingers as they brushed up against the sensitive skin of her chest she lost track of Odin's Stone and Abraham's loins. "Something whimsical?" Her voice softened.

"Well, yeah, whimsical is good. Like a pinky promise only for our secrets."

"Or like the knuckle fist thing you do with Parker."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Why don't we seal it with a kiss."

"Perfect, Bones, that's perfect. Let's see here, this says to tell my partner something that I've never told her because I would feel silly for the way I felt or acted. They sat in silence for a moment and then he turned to her where they were sat on her couch and looked at her carefully. "Do you want me to go first?"

"Yes."

"Well, I never told you how jealous I was when you worked that case with Sully. I thought I would lose my mind. I went to Gordon Gordon's house at all hours of the night and day trying to get him to sign that damned release form. Hell, I built the man's BBQ for him."

Her expression softened. "You were jealous? Of Sully?"

"Well, yeah." He took her hand in his, played with it as he spoke. His voice was suddenly soft and low. "What if you'd liked working with him better than working with me?"

"That would never happen." Her voice equally soft but firm. "You are the only partner I want." He leaned in, his lips lingered over hers. A shudder went through her in anticipation of his lips landing on her own. He let them fall into a simple, satisfying kiss.

"It's your turn." She looked at him quite seriously weighing her options.

"I will admit this to you but only if you understand that I am _not_ going to change." She watched him carefully trying to judge his response then proceeded somewhat cautiously. "I find your chivalrous behavior quite endearing." A broad grin spread across his face and she swore his chest puffed out just a little bit. "That does not mean I want you to open the door for me or carry my equipment. I am perfectly capable myself." She was firm and unyielding as he tried not to laugh. Then her voice softened. "But I do like that you want to and that you continue to persist in trying even though I refuse."

He leaned in for his kiss, but she didn't move to give him one.

"No, you need to promise me that you aren't going to give me a hard time about this. You must never mention it again."

"I promise I won't give you a hard time about it _but _I'm not gonna to stop trying or offering." She leaned in for her kiss. One kiss became two maybe three almost four until she lost count, she pulled back. Her fingers ran absently across her own lips when he pulled away. He picked up the list and read the next question.

"Tell your partner about a time you lied or withheld the truth. Your turn to go first this time, Bones." She sat still as she tried to think of a time she lied.

"I don't lie, Booth, you know that. In fact, I am often criticized for being too honest." He was about to let her off the hook when he saw the pink gather quickly to her cheeks, she was blushing. He had never seen her do that before. "I remembered one." She looked so nervous. "Remember that case where the little boy had been abducted, assaulted, and killed. The one where one of the young foster brothers helped us solve the case." He nodded, he did remember. "I told you that I was in the system until my grandfather came and got me out to live with him." He stroked her hand softly. She let a long nervous breath. "Max always told me that I didn't have grandparents. I never met mine and they certainly didn't come and get me out of foster care. The truth is I aged out of the system." The look on Booth's face was exactly why she told people that she was only in the system for a short period of time. She hated that look. "I'm fine, Booth, really."

"You do realize you don't have to be fine for me, right? You can be angry or sad or cry. You don't always have to be so strong. I am here for you, for whatever you need." His declaration had obviously made her uncomfortable. He picked up the hand that he'd been carefully stroking and brought it to his lips for a tender kiss.

"Okay, this is more of a _withheld the truth thing_ than a lie." She looked skeptically at him. "Do you remember the case where the gang banger had buried his sister and father and then had to dig them up and rebury them."

"Yes, of course."

"You paid for a funeral for them and I missed it. I got there when it was all over." He paused as he watched for her reactions. "There was a reason that I was late that I never told you." She looked almost hurt or offended as she waited for the reason. "Even back then I knew you, knew you well enough to know that if you knew what I did you would get yourself into some serious trouble."

"I don't understand."

"The head of Mara Muerte gang, the guy you dropped in front of the elevators at the Hoover. He put a hit out on you. I was late because I had to go take care of it."

"Take care of it? How?"

"I let him know if he messed with you or any of his guys messed with you I would come after him personally."

She wasn't sure how to respond – that was such a Booth thing to do, always chivalrous. She sat stunned by the weight of what he was saying.

"You threatened him? Threatened him enough that he's never come after me."

"I put a gun in his mouth and cocked it. He got the message. That was the most important thing at the time."

"Important – more important than a funeral, I asked you that. You said you thought so at the time." There was a far off look in her eyes, like she was reliving the whole experience. "It was for me – I was the important thing you were taking care of." She pulled herself back to the present while she commented on the past. "I was very mad at you."

"Yeah, yeah you were pretty mad." He laughed it off then he reached out, picked up the little skull jar from where it hung around her neck. "I'd do it again, in a heartbeat, Bones, in a heartbeat." His voice, his posture, his eyes all said he was serious. She settled into the idea, he could see that as she nodded her understanding.

She kissed him. "Thank you, Booth."

The next question told them to share a time when they were scared. He fiddled with the paper more than normal. His eyes darted around the room. "I've had lots of times when I've been scared." He offered up. "Sometimes for myself and my own safety, sometimes for others. When Kenton had you and I didn't know where in all those old abandoned buildings you were or if you were even still alive. When the gravedigger buried you and time ran out. I had to just have faith that you and Hodgins would figure out a way to stay alive until we found you." Letting his eyes connect with her's he let the truth fall from his lips. "I was scared."

"So many times when I was a soldier, I couldn't count them. But I think the time I was the most scared was when my mom left and it was just my little brother and me with my dad. His drinking got worse, his temper got worse. I didn't know if I could keep Jared safe from my dad. I couldn't, I guess really I knew I couldn't protect him, that's what scared me the most."

"Booth." Moving closer to him she reached up and cradled his face in her hands, she felt his jaw as it pulsed beneath her fingertips. Then she brushed his lips into a kiss, a strong, fervent kiss, a claiming kiss.

She was so much closer now, so close that when she sat back down her legs draped over his lap. He reached across her, his hand ran smoothly along her hip and thigh. It was comforting. His offering was so personal she felt the need to match it. She hesitated though, it seemed to her he was much better at sharing than she was. She had fought all her life to hold onto every secret detail of the hurt that had plagued her all these years. She didn't want to let it go, didn't want others to see it or even know it existed. But this, with Booth, had changed things. She couldn't offer up something generic and impersonal when Booth had been so transparent, allowing her to see his own pain.

"I graduated high school." She started then stopped to catch his eyes. "I'd turned eighteen and aged out of the system. I'd been accepted to college, several actually, but in the meantime I had to leave where I had been staying. Shortly after graduation I took everything I owned, in a couple of suitcases, and got on a bus. I had saved some money working a part time job so I had a little but I don't think I ever felt as alone as I did when that bus started moving. I realized I had nothing. I had no one to make sure I was safe or ate or studied. I had no home to go to or to come back to if things didn't work out. I was alone, it was just me."

He pulled her against his chest and held her tightly to him. "You have me now. You know that, right? You aren't alone, you'll never be alone like that again." He kissed her forehead.

She hesitated. She knew on some level she should say thank you and accept his offer but she'd only had herself to rely on for so long that it's just what she did, what she had always done. She couldn't imagine trusting someone like that, relying on someone like Booth asked her to trust him. She didn't know how. To trust someone to be what Booth was promising was so very risky. Paralyzed by his words she didn't respond to his offer verbally. But she held onto him physically. Secretly she held onto her desire to believe in what he offered, the desire to trust him.

They took a few minutes, held each other and fostered the sense of safety they'd forged together. It was getting late and this experience had turned more serious than he'd expected. He skimmed the instruction sheet for something a little more lighthearted.

"Okay, Bones, two more questions then we seal up this secret jar for the night. Let's see, it says to admit to something you've denied." She looked up at him from the her place on his chest. "I got this. When you asked me if you should go with Sully and sail around the wor-"

"You told me I should go."

"Yes, I did tell you that. I didn't want to hold you back. I didn't want you to stay because I told you to stay, because I wanted you to stay. So I told you that you should go."

She put her head back down on his chest and snuggled in.

"You're Andy Lister." Booth laughed, it echoed though his ribcage and into her ear.

"I'm Andy Lister. I knew it." He could feel her whole body smile. "I knew it, but you _always_ deny it."

"If you tell anyone I'll deny it again." She warned. He was still chuckling. "I was already working on my first book when we worked that very first case but it wasn't coming together properly. It was missing something. We worked together, I punched the judge, and you fired me." Their passionate but brief interaction outside the pool hall and bar had been a taboo subject since their partnership really began a year after that first case. She squirmed at the idea of bringing it up. She took few moments to carefully word what she said next. "I went home that night and knew what the story was missing. It needed you. I took what I had observed from your work ethic and style and imbued Andy Lister with those qualities."

"What about all those racy sex scenes between Andy and Kathy?" She only giggled in response.

"That kiss, we shared that night. It was..." She lost her train of thought as she fell back into that night, back into the memory of his lips as they'd opened on hers in a way she'd never felt before. "I had never been... It was..."

"Amazing, it was amazing, Bones. I remember it, couldn't forget it."

Her arms had been wrapped around him for some time. Somewhere in the middle of talking around that night and that kiss she'd started moving her hands, fidgeting with his shirt until he felt her hands slip under his t-shirt and onto his skin. He hummed, it was uncontrollable and when the sound left him he felt her react to him. Looking down at the list he tried to maintain his focus, it took every bit of self restraint he had but he read the next secret on the list. Bad idea.

"Share a secret desire with your partner." He groaned. "I don't know about this one, Bones." Her fingers traced his spine weaving lazily in and out, around the vertebra. She hummed then chuckled at the idea.

"I'll share a desire." Her hands sinking deeper along his back sliding along the edge of his jeans. His breaths getting shorter, more rapid. "I don't want you to leave tonight. I want you to stay."

"Done." He felt her close, her face brushed up against his own. "I'll stay."

"With me?" He nodded his answer having no confidence in his ability to speak at the moment. But he had to try, had to let her know one thing.

"No sex, not tonight."

"Why?" She'd added light kisses on his neck and jaw to her torture devices. His body was dying to abandon all reason and have a purely physical experience but that wasn't what this experiment was about. He just had a one more thing to teach her.

Finding his balance he leaned forward, he grabbed the tiny cork and slid it into the bottle closing it for the night. "Because, Bones, intimacy is more than just sex." He blew out the candles. "Intimacy is about being there for each other in other ways besides just sex." Untangling himself from her, he stood and held out his hand, she took it, he pulled her up. "It's being able to hold each other, to kiss, to caress, and care for one another and know that all those beautiful shared experiences don't have to lead to sex." She looked completely confused. "You should know that on a night when you may not be in the mood for making love but need to be held that I will hold you and demand nothing more of you."

They stood in her hall between her bedroom and the guest bedroom. She knew what he was asking her by stopping here. Staring straight into his eyes she stood shifting her weight from side to side, uneasy about the choice she was about to make. Have him sleep in the guest room or invite him into her bed with no expectations of having sexual intercourse. Her hand still clinging tightly to his she looked around him at the guest bedroom and back over her shoulder at her bedroom. This was her choice. It wasn't something that just happened like the other night when she'd had the nightmare or sharing a room on an undercover case. He challenged her biggest secret of all, that this kind of intimacy scared her more than having sex. She turned toward her bedroom and started walking clinging to his hand fiercely.

He smiled, good choice.

oooooOooooo

A/N I promise, cross my heart hope to die stick a needle in my eye, promise I will finish Need. If you sent me a message worrying about whether I have abandoned it please know you aren't alone – I have received several! Which I am taking as a compliment. I love that you love the story that much! I put chapter 40 of Need on hold to finish this special Birthday season present to my friend Craftyjhawk. It is almost done and then I will finish Need...promise.

You want to know a secret? You can buy Joe and other handmade knit monsters and zombies from Crafty's Etsy shop. That's right Joe is real! Her shop is CraftyjhawkKnits and the monsters on there are SOOOOOOoooo cute they are completely irresistible!

For all of you that have been reading, those leaving reviews, following or favorite-ing this story I wanted to say thank you – I am very humbled by the response. I'm glad so many have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. :)


	6. Wednesday

Chapter 6

Day 6: Wednesday

**Booth**

Only Bones would send him a text with just his name in it.

_Hey Bones everything okay?_

**Does last Friday count as day 1 of our experiment or is Saturday day 1. If we are counting Friday as day 1 then today is day 6**

_You're over thinking it_

**That isn't an answer. If we are counting Friday as day 1 and today is day 6 then we don't have much time left. Really just the remainder of today and tomorrow.**

_I know Bones don't worry about it_

**I am not worried, I am exact. Science is exact.**

_what time are you done with work tonight_

**I have a late meeting I'm not sure when I'll be done. Why?**

_Just come straight to my apartment when you're done I'll have dinner for you_

Her next three texts came in quick succession.

**Okay**

**Booth**

**You didn't answer my question.**

_We'll talk about it tonight :) You looked beautiful this morning_

**You left before I got ready Booth you couldn't possibly know how I look**

_you always look beautiful but I was talking about before I left._

She blushed at the thought. But recovered quickly as she remembered how frustrated she was with him. He'd agreed to engage in this experiment with her. It was getting later and later in the week and they had yet to engage in coitus. It had been all she could think about all morning. Which led to wondering when they would complete the experiment. Which led her to the solid recognition that she was, indeed, extremely sexually frustrated.

It didn't matter where her mind started, it ended up on Booth. The feel of Booth's arms wrapped tightly around her when she had that nightmare. The rich deep timbre to his voice as he held her and talked to her promising to always be there for her, saying he'd never leave. The joy in Booth's eyes when he bought her the small stuffed monster named Joe. Booth's fingers wrapped around the tiny Skull jar necklace as it rested on her chest. Absently she'd pulled it out of her blouse and rolled it between her fingers as her mind continued down her Booth tailored rabbit hole. Booth and Parker waving to her while playing ball. Swaying to the live jazz music in the dark cool feel of Bohemian Caverns. The look in his eyes when he'd finally found the ridge of remodeling on those ancient bones. His worry as he left her that night.

And this morning, both of them in that beautiful sleepy fog of morning. Booth hovering over her as he whispered words of adoration to wake her. His movements or maybe hers had left a wide band of bare skin, that connected when Booth's solid frame moved over hers. The sensation was as real to her now as it was in that moment. She found it hard to breathe, hard to think of anything else. No matter what she set her mind to, it worked it's way back to Booth. Each memory started out alluring and ended in frustration.

Ultimately that's why she'd texted him. She was trying to figure out how much longer she would potentially have to wait. By the time she'd finished her meeting and was headed to Booth's apartment she was ready for a fight. Her plans were to pin him down to a time and place. If she knew then she could at least prepare her mind accordingly and create a plan to make the remainder of the time work rather than living in this constant state of uncertainty. She hated uncertainty.

He recognized her persistent knock immediately. Very similar to the fast hard knock that had pulled him out of deep sleep last Friday in the middle of the night and set this whole experiment in motion. He answered the door stepping back to take her in.

"See I told you, I knew you looked beautiful." She rolled her eyes.

"I look like I've been working all day." She stood before him in slacks and a cream colored silk shirt with decorative lace and beading around the shoulders and neck. It had been colder the last couple days. She wore a thin long sleeved shirt underneath. She'd worn this combo before. It was one of his favorites. He pulled her into a hug and let his hands move on the cool silk. Then gave her a long deep kiss. She had to remind herself that she was angry at him for making her wait for so long. Her anger got lost in his touch.

"Come on, dinner's ready." His hand firmly in the small of her back he guided her toward his small kitchen table. She felt spun about, the whole passionate speech she'd rehearsed and refined all afternoon and especially on the drive over, gone. How did he do that to her? She was bound and determined to speak her mind. But then she hadn't eaten all day and there was food in front of her, a glass of her favorite wine in her hand, and a kiss planted squarely on her forehead. "How was your day?" He asked as he sat down across the table from her. They ate and talked and she vowed to herself that as soon as they were done eating she would talk to him.

But putting away leftovers and doing dishes kept them busy. She was sure he'd distracted her on purpose as he pulled her into his living room. Soft music filled the dimly lit space. He set down his drink and took hers from her hand then pulled her into his arms as they moved slowly to the music. It seemed familiar, she recognized it from Saturday night at the jazz club. She pulled back and looked at Booth quizzically.

"I went back today on my lunch break and bought it." Jazz clubs and long dress zippers, secrets, shared experiences. Her mind immediately snapped back to the frustration she'd felt earlier in the day.

"Booth, when are we going to complete the experiment?" Although she tried to hide it she was sure her sense of desperation came through in her tone.

"I told you, Bones, you're over thinking it."

"There isn't much time left." He could feel her body tense as she became rigid in his arms. "When are we going to-"

"Make love." He cut her off putting his own choice of words in the place of her more scientific and distancing terms.

"Yes." She acquiesced. "When are we going to make love?"

"We have been all week, Bones."

"What? No we haven't, not even once." He chuckled at her obvious irritation. She pulled back and looked at him for a long time. "Not literally, you mean figuratively?"

Pulling her just a little closer he talked softly. "I love it when you wear this shirt." He fiddled with the ridges of silk that rose up in decoration on her blouse. "It drives me nuts though."

"Make comes from the Old English word _macian_ meaning to form, construct or prepare." He could hear the careful consideration in her voice as she reasoned out loud.

Whispering in her ear, his words blew wisps of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun, they tickled as they settled back down around her face and neck. "Every time you wear it, it's all I can do to keep my hands off you."

"Old Frisian_ makia _would mean to build."

"Every time I just want to hold you, feel the silky material under my hands, feel it slide on your skin." He let out a deep groan as his hands moved on that cool silky material working patterns along her back.

She was absent, still trying to figure out what he meant by asserting that they had been making love all week. "And the word love has it's Old English roots in the word lufu, Old Frisian luve, High German luba and Latin lubet meaning pleasing and lubido meaning desire." Her breath fell heavy as she gasped for air at the feel of his lips on her neck. He worked his way up to nibbling on her ear as he moved his hands and pulled her hair out so it fell down on her shoulders, pocketing her hair band.

"In a more literal sense making love would mean to form, construct or prepare, to build something pleasing and desirable."

"Desirable, yes." He plucked kisses from her lips. "Definitely desirable."

"So, you're saying that we have been building or constructing the framework upon which to..." She trailed off distracted by the feel of Booth's fingers working the buttons to her blouse. Heavy breaths in short succession, she couldn't think.

"I'm going to take this shirt off you now, if that's okay?" At first she could only nod her approval, breathless, her mind barely functioning.

"Blouse." Her correction, barely audible, seemed silly after it left her lips.

Lost in a whirlwind of emotions and chemicals, she felt his hands slip under the shoulders of her blouse and down along her back as the shirt fell. Chemicals, right? But it wasn't just chemicals traveling at breakneck speed throughout her limbic system. Her desire, his, the emotions his touch pulled from her were markedly different than any strictly biological reaction she'd ever felt.

Finally, he responded to her attempts to understand what he meant by making love all week."When you love someone and they love you, you build connections, Bones, a shared vulnerability."

She looked up into his eyes where she found the most complete sense of safety she'd ever felt. His hands moved so slowly up her sides. He watched her carefully, her posture, her breathing, but mostly her eyes. She nodded to him, yes, as she lifted her arms languidly over her head and closed her eyes letting herself feel his hands as they brushed their way up her body taking her undershirt with them.

"Connection, Bones, connection and a shared vulnerability, respect, love, built up until the need to share that in the most intimate way is overwhelming." He pulled his own t-shirt off and stepped into her. Her eyes darted over him. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him without a shirt before but this, this moment was different. She reached out to touch him with a sense of reverence and awe that they had finally come to this place, together.

He'd moved them, she hadn't noticed it had been happening when he did it, but he'd moved them. His bedroom was warm, dark woods and rich earthy colors. "To touch and caress, to kiss." Words illustrated by actions. "A way to show love, to be loved." Lost in his warm fluid touch and his deep rich voice, she felt swept away. Until there they were both bare in every way standing before each other ready to take a leap into the unknown. One last bit of explanation, he had to get out before that leap. "It's everything we are to each other, everything we can be together." They held each other loosely as their bodies brushed lightly against one another, every sense heightened, every touch breathtaking.

"When I touch you tonight, when you touch me, it'll carry everything we are together, everything we've shared." She lunged at his lips, unable to wait any longer, overpowered by it all. Flashing through her mind were all those same Booth moments that had tortured her all day. She found a release, a form of expression, as they explored every curve and plain of each others' body.

Scattered between the moments of breathtaking passion were tender words of awe. They whispered long held secret desires to one another then indulged themselves in fulfilling them. Unguarded, she felt free, in those moments they shared, free to say and be herself in a way she never had before.

The soft sound of her giggles as she responded to his tenderness and kisses was a sound he was sure he would never forget. The deep rich sounds of pleasure that escaped him would always echo in her. Every action, each movement brought them closer, wound them tighter, until her body reached for his demanding all of him. This was it, this was that moment, their moment. He watched her carefully as he pushed into her slowly. A wave of emotions washed over her, pulled her under, barely giving her time to breath before his movements, their movements, in perfect sync, left her overwhelmed both body and soul.

His body cradled hers in every way. Bent low to her ear he whispered. "I love you, Temperance."

They were close, so close, and she had to admit as they toppled over the edge together, there was a moment there when the laws of physics seemed suspended. There was an undeniable oneness between them.

Tears pooled in her eyes, he kissed them away. He stayed, hovered over her, shielded her, protected her as her breathing went back to normal. She couldn't speak it but she marveled that she could feel so absolutely vulnerable and completely safe at the same moment. Maybe like making love it defied the law so in that blissful moment they could coexist. As their bodies came to a natural separation he watched as that balance of power tilted and vulnerability won.

Her hands held his face, her kiss was sweet and true. Her words a glancing blow. "I need to think." She rolled out from beneath him and quickly started gathering her clothes.

"Stay, we'll work it out together. Think it through together." He begged.

"I can't think when I'm with you like this. I just need to think."

Grabbing his boxers, he hopped and teetered as he tried to keep up with her and put his them on at the same time. She was getting ready to leave. Another kiss, more pleading for her to stay, and she was gone.

He fell back into his couch.

"No, nope, this doesn't end this way." He said it to his empty apartment. "No." Pulling himself from the couch he dressed.

She ran, he chased. He needed her to know that he would come for her, that she wasn't alone in this. He knew where she went, he drove straight to the Jeffersonian, walked straight to limbo. About half way down the stairs he stopped and sat. She didn't acknowledge him. It was okay as long as she knew he was there. Booth watched her, his head resting on his hands. She'd pulled out a random bin of bones and had been methodically laying them out on a sterile work table. Some man or woman who needed a name, who had a story to tell but no one to listen to it but Bones, his Bones.

She held her gloved hands out far from her body as she flipped her head to move her hair back behind her shoulders. She been so distracted by the day that she'd worn the pony tail holder she kept in her lab coat pocket to Booth's. He had it, she had nothing to hold her hair back with. He watched her do it several times, irritated when her hair fell back in around her face. Grunting as he got up from where he sat he made his way down to where she was working. She ignored him until she felt him gather her hair and pull it back. His hand dove deep in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out her hair tie. It was sloppy and sideways but he'd pulled her hair back out of her way so she could work. Without a word she leaned back down to the table in an effort to examine the bones. He watched as she dabbed her tears on the sleeve of her lab coat. He rolled her into his arms.

"I forgot to tell you something, Bones. I forgot to tell you that love is scary. Opening yourself up to feel it, really feel it, like you did tonight is scary. It's easy to lose sight of everything you have to gain when what you have to lose can seem so overwhelming." He curled around her in every way he could. Completely enveloped her body with his own. Her silent tears became sobs.

"It's okay, baby, I know you're scared. I'm here, okay? I promise I won't leave you. I promise you're safe with me." He didn't really expect her to answer.

"Are you scared?" It came out barely a whisper. Her honest need to know evident in her desperate tone.

He gave her the truth. "Yes, I am. It's normal to be scared but it's worth it, Bones. Loving someone, building a life with them, it's scary but it's worth it. _You_ are worth it."

She let out a long weighted sigh and pulled herself back so she could see his eyes. It was hard for her to admit it, he could see her discomfort. She seemed unsettled, making constant little movements to try and find the right stance.

His hands came up to gently cradle her face. His eyes danced with hers. She found them warm and safe.

Collapsing back into his chest she clung to him. There was so much she wanted to say, so much racing through her mind. What she thought, what she felt, waged a war in her head. But she couldn't articulate it, not one word of it. She felt panicked and paralyzed so she did the only thing she could do. She let him hold her, comfort her, and she held him.

_A/N I continue to be so honored and humbled by the response to this little story. Thank you for continuing to go on this little journey with me! Just a little bit farther! :) As always I love to hear your thoughts and reactions – they are fuel for my gas guzzling muse!_


	7. Thursday & Friday

Chapter 7

Day 7: Thursday

She came back with him to his apartment that night. She was quiet, obviously deep in thought. He let her be knowing she would talk when she was ready. Thursday morning they got called to a crime scene. Those always took forever, this one was no exception. Morning turned into afternoon and it was evening before they finally wrapped it up and were able to leave. By the time they buzzed by the Hoover and Jeffersonian to make sure everything was in order and had been delivered as requested it was getting late. Takeout dinner on Booth's couch. Drinks to try and relax. A hot shower together to unwind. Which led seamlessly to a repeat of their making love experiment purely for the sake of science, of course.

The whole day and night seemed to just happen. It wasn't forced at all. On the contrary, it seemed disturbingly natural to be with Booth in this way. Somewhere along the way time got blurry for her. It was no longer linear and equidistant, it sped up and slowed at all the wrong places. She was lost in it.

Two bodies tangled into one, finally, they fell asleep together.

Booth was alone when he woke up, which admittedly worried him. Quietly he made his was out of his bedroom. The tiny apartment left little room for hiding or privacy. He found her standing still, arms wrapped protectively around her body, looking out his living room bay window. Moonlight bounced off the white dress shirt she was wearing, his dress shirt. He held back and watched her for a long time then made his way across the room to stand behind her. She leaned back against him and let out an almost painful sigh.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Just looking at the city. Your view is very different than mine."

Booth laughed softly. "Yeah, you're right about that." He lived in a poorer, grittier neighborhood than she did.

"I like your view." His arms wound around her as he rocked her gently back and forth.

"I like my view too." He wasn't talking about his neighborhood. He nuzzled into her neck and hair taking in a deep breath of her.

She didn't know how he could be so casual knowing that the experiment was ending in minutes, if she were to be absolutely precise.

"It's been seven days." Turning in his arms, she pulled him into a long passionate kiss. It reminded him of that first kiss under the shelter of that shallow doorway outside the pool hall. It was deep and open, filled with so much that could never be said.

It didn't dawn on him that it was a goodbye kiss.

She was gone when he woke up but he knew she would want a crack at the new case as soon as possible. It was normal for her to jump obsessively into her examination of bones that way. In fact, he'd been surprised he got her to come home with him last night at all. He thought for sure she would have insisted on staying at the Jeffersonian to examine the bones.

He cringed when he tried to reach her and Zack answered. Clearly she'd given him her phone to filter her calls. That wasn't normal, hadn't been for a long time. Zach was ridiculously rigid about following her orders. Today his orders were to stop all calls, she wanted to talk to no one, not even Booth. She'd effectively buried herself in the new case. All the jobs she usually delegated to Zach, today she did herself.

By lunch time Booth walked purposefully into her office, pulled the door closed behind him, and demanded an explanation. "What the hell, Bones?"

She looked at him blankly but she knew what he was talking about. "It ended, the experiment is over. We completed it. We agreed to go back to the way things were before, we agreed we had to."

"Before the experiment you talked to me, answered my calls and texts. Exactly how far back before the experiment are we going here?"

Lips pursed, shoulders squared and stiff she just looked at him. She didn't answer.

"Is that what you want? To go back?" There such a deep sense of pain in his voice she couldn't help the tiny gasp that escaped when she heard it. But she didn't cave to it, she fought it.

"It doesn't matter what I want, Booth." She barely got it out. She felt the pressure, like a dam about to overflow or burst from the weight behind it.

"Of course it matters, Bones." She got up and busied herself around her office, she put files away, straightened magazines, organized her desk making everything perfectly straight and orderly. He watched, then tried to get her to stop and talk to him. She couldn't stop, she was sure if she did she'd lose what little control she had. He looked around him, they needed privacy and her damned office was a fishbowl.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk about this?"

"No, I need to work."

"_No_, we need to talk."

"Booth." Her eyes begged him not to pursue it, begged him to let her be. "We have a case." It came out weak and small.

"Bones, this is more important."

"It's over, Booth, the experiment is over. You proved your point, I concede that making love is different. But it's over. Now, if you don't mind I need to get back to work."

"Dammit Bones this, between us, what we shared this week, doesn't have to be over."

It was back and forth – no matter what he said she had an argument to counter. This, what they were doing, this argumentative dance, was not productive. He stopped pacing, with his hands on his hips he stared at her.

Then shook his head, shook himself loose of his frustration with her.

"Come here." It was tender and soft. "Please."

"I'm at work." She looked out towards the forensics platform, all the people purposefully walking around the lab, everyone that had a perfectly clear view of her. It felt like the whole world could see her, see her pain, her frustration, and hurt.

"Bones, baby, come here." Closing her eyes it felt like his words pierced her. He moved to the couch and sat down. "Can we just talk, just for a minute?"

"I have nothing to say." Everything about her posture, her expression, her eyes, all said otherwise.

"Okay, okay, but I do and then, you know, I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."

She came and sat on the edge of her couch, her body proper and stiff.

He looked up, ready to pour his heart out in one last ditch effort.

"Look at me Bones. I need you to look at me and really listen." She wasn't looking at him, she wasn't sure she could. Turning her face towards him, she closed her eyes tightly. He looked at her, really looked at her, her fear was overwhelming. It broke his heart.

"Open your eyes please. I need to see those beautiful stormy blue eyes of yours." She opened them, it took everything in her to sit still and look at him. It hurt so deeply she was ready to concede another long time argument and acquiesce to the fact that a heart could indeed be broken. She felt this in her heart. A physical manifestation of emotional pain.

"Can I hold your hand?" He asked softly. She shook her head, no. "Okay, okay. I'll accept that. Here's what you need to know, Temperance, for me this was never about the experiment." Her eyes snapped to his, a painful confused look. "And I don't think it was for you either." Watching her strain to hold back the tears was torture. Her eyes forced open, pooling with tears, he knew she was about to lose the battle whether she knew it or not. He wanted, more than anything in the world, to take her in his arms and somehow make it better.

"I have loved you for a very long time. I believe that you love me too, though you might not know it. It's been building in us, this thing we share." Her mind pulled connections opening an array of thought. Wednesday night, make, Old Frisian _makia_, to build. Eyes darting across his face she was still fighting to maintain.

"I think we were both looking for some way, something to help us get to the next step. A way to share it. The experiment, for me, was a way to show you how much I love you, how long I've loved you." Tears fell fast and hard down her cheeks, there was no more holding them back, she gasped, a single sharp intake of air.

Reaching out he grabbed her hand squeezing it then running his thumb gently over hers. She let him, then another shuddered breath. He was everything, he had become so intertwined in her life she couldn't imagine it without him and it scared her. What if he left like so many others had done? It would be hard now, today, it would be hard but she would recover. But in a month or two or year from now, if he left then she knew she would be decimated. It had to stop now, it had to be this way. She had to hide behind the end of the experiment and cut her losses. A few hard days or weeks and they would get back to where they were and she would be safe.

"I want to believe, I hope, that for you the experiment was a way to tell me you felt it too." She looked argumentative, he quickly qualified his statement. "Even if you didn't know what you were feeling or why you were feeling it, you knew it was building, that it needed to be expressed, it had to be."

A stillness fell between them. Her tears continued their trail down her cheeks, His thumb stroked a steady rhythm over her hand. He gave her this time, let what he'd said hang in the air.

"I won't pressure you, Temperance, I'll let things be the way they were before." The strain in his voice evident, he cleared his throat as he tried to stave off his own tears. "When you're ready, you come to me, okay? Until then I'll just, it'll just be what it was, okay?" He caught her eyes and nodded as he waited for her nod in return. She did. He got up and started to leave. God, he hoped she would stop him but she didn't. Right before he reached the door he stopped and turned quickly.

"That first kiss, on that first case, you ran from me. You ran to that cab and I followed. Remember?"

"Yes."

The softest look overtook him, in his eyes, his expression, his whole demeanor. "I asked if you were afraid that when I looked at you in the morning I'd have regrets." A soft laugh fell from him.

"I said that would never happen."

His hands deep in his pocket, shoulders slumped, he looked up from the floor where his gaze had been and straight into her eyes.

"I don't, Bones, I don't regret it and I never will."

He left.

As promised, she answered his calls, even called him herself with updates on the case. It was awkward but they were determined to make it through it. Somehow, together, they would shove everything that had happened back into the tight little box it had come from.

When they figured out the identity of the victim he made arrangements to go talk to the family. He called and asked her if she wanted to come with him. Admittedly he was relieved when she said she was too busy at the lab to leave. He didn't know if he could do small talk yet. Everything still felt raw.

He worried about her and contemplated asking Angela to check on her but in the end thought better of it. The last thing they needed was Angela, though well meaning, in the middle trying to fix what they had broken. Instead he sent Bones a text message.

_Worried about you_

That's all it said.

She tried to be brave about it. reminded herself frequently that this was for the best. There were too many complications with starting a relationship with Booth. The eventual end of such a relationship was only one of them.

It took her a long time to answer his text, the better part of an hour. She would type one thing then delete it, then type another which would suffer the same fate. One after another, until she finally settled on something simple and pressed send.

**Thank you**

She locked herself in her office and the bone room. She couldn't go down to limbo, the thought brought back too many recent memories. She managed to avoid just about everybody all day and when it was almost over she left. Straight home, a beeline, she'd held everything back all day. She needed to be someplace where she could just be. She stripped and collapsed on her bed and sobbed. It was late in the evening when she texted Booth again, the weight of how her own inadequacies had fallen on him, crushed him. It weighed heavy on her mind.

**I didn't mean to hurt you**

He was home by the time he got that one. His apartment had never seemed emptier than it did that night, empty and cold. He read her text over and over as he downed the rest of the scotch he'd poured himself when he got home hoping the warmth of the liquor would take the edge off. It didn't. It took him a long time to answer. There was so much he wanted to say but in the end he just acknowledged it.

_I know_

With that he turned his phone on silent. Something he never did, he answered day or night as part of his job. He needed a break. He figured if anything earth shattering needed to be addressed Charlie would come find him. He would chalk it up as a mistake, accidental. He couldn't handle anything else tonight. He avoided going to bed but the noise, sports recaps, the news, reality TV as he flipped channels, it all seemed to be making it worse. He had another drink and went to bed where he was carried off by the sound of rain as it pounded his roof and windows. He fell asleep much faster than he thought he would.

She couldn't sleep and when a couple texts to Booth went unanswered her restlessness became unbearable. What had she done? It seemed like hours passed. Her restlessness left her twisted in her sheets and no more comforted or consoled than when she'd gone to bed. Her mind, like the sheets, had twisted and turned, everything seemed upside down or backwards. She needed help sorting it all out. A fresh set of sobs echoed through her apartment as she came to the harsh realization that normally it was Booth that would help her figure this all out.

She gave up, got out of bed, maybe moving would help her think. She dressed and was driving before she'd given any thought to where she was going. When she parked in front of his apartment her heart pounded. She swore she wouldn't get out of the car. She'd just check to see if his lights were on, if he was there, if he was safe. They weren't, his apartment was dark. And before she really recognized what she was doing she found herself walking around his neighborhood, in the middle of the night, in the rain, trying to decide whether to get in the car and go home or go up to his apartment. It was a commitment, she knew it. She couldn't go up there like this, ask for his comfort and not be willing to at least try to make this work between them. It would be wrong and she couldn't bear the thought of hurting him the way she had today. But taking this risk, committing to this with Booth, it was such a big decision. Her mind completely wrapped up in thought didn't even recognize the rain as it pounded her. She came back to her car, held the handle of the door, and looked up at his windows above the Liquor store. She'd decided.

He'd been dreaming fitfully all night, every dream laced with her. Beautiful eyes locked with his as they made love that first time. Her warm body tangled with his. Her secrets, her treasures, her pain, her tears, they were unbearable. He'd wake, curse, and roll over determined to escape through sleep. He'd listen to the rain and let the rhythm and consistency lull him back to sleep.

He shot upright and waited, the knock came hard, it sounded just like her fast, incessant pounding. By the time he'd regained enough consciousness to listen, it had stopped. He thought it was another dream, that this time the whole week had started over again with her pounding on the door in the middle of the night like last Friday. But there was nothing, the apartment was quiet and still. He lay back down but before he got settled it started again. This time he was awake. He knew he wasn't dreaming. Bolting for the door he stumbled into the coffee table hitting his shin._ Shit that hurt,_ he swore as he raced for the door and called out for her to wait, he was coming.

Shivering, her hand hovered over the door, trying to decided whether to knock again or leave. She was about to go when she heard him and though she knew he'd probably hurt himself she couldn't help but smile as she heard him yelling for her to wait for him to get the door. That was Booth, that was the sound of comfort and safety.

One look, that's all it took, she melted his heart. She was drenched, rain dripped from every bit of her and he could still distinguish her tears. He wanted to say something to ease the tension but nothing came. He knew she needed the chance to speak first but he didn't have to leave her there in the hall of his apartment building. Taking her hand he led her through his apartment to his bathroom. Carefully he wrapped a towel around her then grabbed a second one to pat her dry. The soft towel draped over his hands framed her face as he dabbed at her still falling tears.

Looking up into his gentle eyes, she finally spoke. "I'm scared too, Booth." A warm smile, a tender touch, he kissed her, then pulled her into his arms.

"We'll be scared together, okay?"

"Yes, together. You and I, together." He knew she meant it, it would be hard, they both knew it, but she was willing to try.

oooooOooooo

_A/N Once again I'd like to thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favorite-ing this story. The response has been overwhelming and exciting. You know how some gifts have a smaller present that dangles from the gift tag? So does this birthday season present for Craftyjhawk. There will be a short follow up tomorrow – an epilogue. I wanted to thank my dear friend Crafty for having a birthday and giving me such great prompts to pick from. I have loved writing this story so much! It has been a great experience. _

_I'd like to thank my husband, Snowybones, and Givesup for help finding and correcting my errors. There's a reason the first thing waring out on my lap top is the right click button, it's called spell check LOL They caught all the missed words and parts that didn't make sense – not to mention being a great cheer leading squad._

_If you didn't already know Craftyjhawk, Givesup,and Snowybones are all writer/readers and have stories here. Crafty and Snowy are also on fiction press. You should check them out._

_If you have liked this story you can come chat with me on twitter dg_schneider I'd love to hear from you. I post links whenever I post chapters of a story there. I have a non-Bones story that I have been working on (in my head) since I started my very, very long project Need. I will be posting short stories related to that on fiction press once Need is done (but not before). _

_For those waiting for the next Need chapter – it will be there soon, I promise._

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter – please let me know, I am terrible at reading minds and get quite nervous waiting to hear what people think. Loved it? Hated it? Forming a mob to lynch me? _


	8. Epilogue

He stood in front of her on what had to be the longest day they'd had in months. She felt it too, the anxiety that had ruled every minute of the day, the need to be with him. The explosion that sent the taxi they were in flying, rolling, crashing to the ground. The case that separated them almost immediately after the crash. He ran off to save a lobbyist too arrogant to listen to them and chase a serial killer. She went off to make sure her brother knew the instructions to come to the the FBI hadn't come from her or Booth but from their father. She'd hoped to smooth things over with him. Then off to talk to Caroline Jullian and an ultimately futile attempt work out some kind of deal for Russ.

Under it all, the pressure they felt to hide their relationship from the FBI, the Jeffersonian, and closest friends and co-workers had become unbearable today. It all crumbled the moment he finally broke free and was able to make it back to the Jeffersonian. It was evening, the Medico-Legal Lab was nearly abandoned. But he wasn't sure he would have acted any differently had the place been packed with people.

He needed to touch her for himself, to attend to her, to hold her. Carefully he fingered the hair that rested on her forehead, lifted it and smoothed it back so he could see the laceration held together by Steri-strips. Her eyes fell shut as he tenderly turned her face and took in every little scratch.

"I'm sorry about that, Bones, sorry you got hurt."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I was arguing with you, I shouldn't have been, maybe if I'd seen it sooner-"

"You saved us. You reacted very quickly, Booth, it could have been much worse." She knew, she'd considered it, running the scenarios over and over in her mind. She was sure he'd save them.

Gently he kissed her forehead. Holding her, being attached, connected, it felt good, he needed that. She did too. She let her hands slide inside his suit coat. She tugged and pulled at his dress shirt, weaving her way around until she could feel his warm familiar skin under her hands. It was comforting. She let out a long deep breath as she melted into his embrace. She wanted to check each bone, each joint, to feel for herself that he was okay. Quick and careful, a cursory exam, then they fell into a long deep kiss. It was need and relief all mixed together.

Hodgins was just leaving his office to grab Angela and head home for the night. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched the pair, the ones that insisted they were just partners professionally and not romantic in any way, they were engaged in maybe the hottest kiss he'd ever seen. He ran to Angela's office, grabbed her without a word of explanation, and dragged her, protesting, back to hide behind a pillar outside of Dr. B's office. He shushed her several times, once even slapped his hand over her mouth as he whispered into her ear to just watch.

Of course by then they were no longer twisted around each other in a passionate entanglement. She was holding him as he hugged her firmly to his chest.

"It's just a 'guy' hug, Hodgins. I know all about these." There was clear disappointment in her voice. "You got my hopes up and dragged me over here for nothing. It's just some ridiculous rationalization of Booth's that Bren has totally accepted. She is his partner, therefore he can hug her like she was a guy partner, making it a 'guy' hug." Her eyes rolled at the absurdity of it all – it was another way that her genius friend proved everyday that you could both be wildly intelligent and absolutely naive at the same time.

Hodgins laughed. "Oh, baby, trust me what I saw was no guy hug! It was full on lip to lip action, hot and heavy." He was still chuckling as he finished a detailed description. Angela's interest was piqued but she was still skeptical. Surely, she would have noticed if something had changed in Bren's relationship with Booth. _She would tell me_, Angela thought, _I've certainly given her enough opportunities to, that was for damned sure_. "Just wait. I bet they go at it again." His excitement could hardly be contained.

"How much?"

"How much what?"

"How much do you wanna bet?"

Having defined their wager they turned their attention back to the couple and waited to see what happened.

Bones held him, he held her until she pulled back. "I promised Amy I would drop by the hospital and read more of The Secret Garden to Hayley before I went home." She sounded almost disappointed. It wasn't that she didn't want to drop by the hospital, it was that she just wanted to go home with Booth and be with him, just him, just her, together.

He understood but reminded her how much Amy and her girls needed her right now. He could wait, he reassured her. The concept of family was still relatively new to her, she wasn't used to this kind of need or obligation. He told her he was going to drop by the shooting range to literally blow off some steam. They agreed to meet back at his apartment in a couple hours.

Then he pulled her in, a sharp fast press as he let his hands hold her hips to his own. If he thought this was going to make it easier to part and go their separate ways he was wrong. It made it harder. He kissed away her worries as he captured every part of her, body and soul. They fell farther and farther into each other, kiss after kiss. When he tried to pull away she told him, no. She needed just a little more time in his arms.

Zack came bumbling by on his way to bring Dr. Brennan some test results she'd been waiting for. There seemed to be no acknowledgment of the scene playing out before him. He was about to walk right into the middle of it. He made it just about two steps past the pillar before Jack and Angela attacked. Each grabbed an arm as they violently pulled him back, shushing him all the way. No way they were going to let him spoil their view by interrupting the couple.

Zack stood still. He held the folder with Dr. Brennan's results tightly in both hands, irritated at his captors for delaying him.

"I need to get these results to Dr. Brennan, she's been waiting for them."

"Zack, are you blind? Do you not see what's going on in there?" All three peeked around the pillar just in time to see Dr. Brennan's hands slip down below Booth's suit coat as they rounded his hips and grabbed his ass.

"I see, of course I see, I am _not _blind."

"You don't seem the slightest bit shocked." Angela turned to Jack. "He doesn't seem the slightest bit shocked."

"Of Course I'm not shocked. Clearly they reached a point at which they could no longer sublimate their intense physical attraction for each other."

"Yeah, well I understand all that and seeing it right here, right now for the first time, I'm still shocked."

"Oh, it's not the first time I've seen them like that."

Angela almost blew their cover, in the loudest whisper she demanded and explanation. "What!?"

He sounded surprised by Angela's shock. "After the Halloween party." He stated so matter-of-fact, as if everyone knew. "I came back to change before I met Naomi from Paleontology in the hopes of a romantic interlude."

Angela's eyes opened wide, her eyebrows shot up high on her forehead. When Zack didn't continue she got irritated. "More. Now."

He looked nervously back and forth between Hodgins and Angela. "They were leaving. She was spinning, like Wonder Woman and he caught her, then kissed her, and said he was going to take her to his fortress of solitude." His eyes, serious and fixed, they watched as he recounted the night. His careful exactness made him sound like he was testifying in court, recounting a detailed explanation of what he saw. "Then they left." He pointed toward the sliding Medico-Legal lab doors.

Hodgins found great humor in knowing this had been going on right under their noses. Angela did not. "Zack." She paused for effect while she put her arm around him, squeezing his shoulder. "Honey, when things like this happen you need to tell me, immediately."

Their little powwow was interrupted by the sound of Brennan giggling. Three sets of eyes widened then peeked around the pillar and looked into her office. Booth nibbled on her ear and seemed to be whispering to her, promised for later when she was done at the hospital. She nodded her agreement. Then giggled more as he kissed his way down her neck. They shouldn't be watching, they knew that but couldn't pull their eyes away. These two, this possible pairing, had been the source of so much office gossip, betting pools, and predictions. They had waited a long time for this and felt completely justified in enjoying the view.

The click of Dr. Saroyan's heels filled the empty lab but the three were too entranced to pay attention to it. It wasn't until the clicking stopped right behind them and she cleared her throat, intentionally loud, to get their attention that they turned away from Booth and Brennan. Without thinking they shushed their boss.

"Seriously people, are we all back in junior high here? Give them some privacy."

"You know too." Not a question, she stated it as more of a terrible realization than anything else. Angela had a hard time accepting that she was the last to know. "I can't believe you know too. When did you find out?"

"Not too long ago but I've suspected for a little while; however, it is really none of our business."

"Did they tell y-" Cam cut her off.

"No, no, they don't know that I know." Her voice trailed off a bit. "And you need to keep this secret for them too. They're meeting with Dr. Sweets because the FBI is evaluating their working relationship. If he were to find out about this it could be the end of their partnership." She motioned towards the couple.

Booth had grabbed her jacket and held it while she slipped it on, then tenderly pulled her hair from inside to the collar. He rested his hands on her hips and rocked her slowly back and forth still talking softly in her ear.

"I know Seeley, I could see all the signs." She had a bit of a wistful tone in her voice. She cleared her voice and stood a bit taller. "It wouldn't be good for either of them if the FBI split them up or good for us as a team." Completely back in boss mode she looked at them each directly and added scolding. "So keep your mouths shut."

Booth turned her around, pulled at the collar of her jacket. "I'll meet you at my place. I'll text you when I get home, okay?" She looked up at him, her sad eyes clearly didn't want to be separated. "What you're doing for them, Amy and her girls, it's the right thing to do, Temperance. I'm proud of you." Letting his lips fall on hers once more he pulled her into a strong open kiss.

"That is just so hot." Angela marveled out loud. I'm sorry, guys, I won't tell anyone, I swear; but I am not letting her get away with not telling me." He marched off towards Bren's office as she left Hodgins, Zach and Dr. Soroyan all standing with their mouths hung wide open in shock.

Angela cleared her throat to get their attention. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, weight jetted out on one hip, her foot tapped impatiently. Her eyes made it clear she wanted an explanation and she wanted it now.

"Sweetie, you got some splaining to do."

I posted this before I add the author's note...silly me! I just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful reviews and comments here and on twitter. I had SOOOOOO much fun writing this story and I'm ecstatic that so many had equally as much fun reading it. Also Happy Birthday to Geraghtyvl! Welcome to Crafty's Birthday Season! Very anxious to see what you think about this Epilogue - those that follow me on twitter know that I ended up with 4 or 5 started epilogues - this was the one that finally clicked and I finished!


	9. Epilogue 2: Little Black Dress

Little Black Dress

Booth walked through the nearly empty parking garage, the smell of cold cement and exhaust familiar and oddly comforting. Her text messages had been brief but painfully disappointing.

**Booth**

She always sent that one first, as if she needed to get his attention. She still didn't seem to realize that she'd had his attention from the moment he walked into that college lecture hall and his eyes fell on her for the first time.

**May not make it over tonight have to stay very late at the lab**

Booth had talked about this upcoming anniversary for at least a month. He wanted to plan something special to mark the occasion but she'd insisted that it wasn't important. Anniversaries in general weren't important. It seemed like a silly habit. As if marking the passage of time together had some bearing on whether they would have a future. It was superstitious and unnecessary. Unnecessary to her anyways.

He felt differently, it wasn't some kind of superstitious act meant to secure the future it was a celebration of how far they'd come. They'd come pretty damn far, especially for them. It was the one year anniversary of the night she showed up soaking wet on his doorstep. She'd boldly proposed an experiment to prove once and for all whether there was a difference between making love and crappy sex. Her insistence that they not mark this anniversary seemed like fear to him, her fear. Celebrating would make the last year too real for her. More importantly it would shine a light on just how intertwined their lives had become.

Increasingly agitated as the week went by he watched her wind up and distance herself more and more. He decided to keep things low key, for her sake. He arranged to send her flowers and opted for a simple dinner in and a quiet night together. Her text came immediately after the confirmation email that the flowers had been delivered. It served as a painful reminder, his suspicions must be right. He would dial it back a little more for her. Maybe he would drop by the Jeffersonian later, maybe he'd steal her away for a bite to eat at the diner. That was normal for them, public, safe, they would have to keep their hands to themselves if they went out like that. Sweets, Cullen, the FBI, still didn't know about that change in their relationship status. At the diner she could pretend they weren't together rather than sink into the deep abiding knowledge that they were and that they had been for a year.

Her office was empty when he got there, just one desk light on; shining a single light on an envelope below. It was addressed to him.

**Booth,**

**This is for you. You can use my private bathroom to change.**

**Bones**

Therewas nothing there by the note. He went to check the bathroom. Hanging on the wall hook he found a suit bag, below it a shoe box. Everything was neat, perfectly laid out from the trouser socks and sock garters on top of the shoe box to the fedora with the striped ribbon on the stool next to the ensemble of bags and boxes. He poked his head back out of the bathroom to look around. Her office still dark, the lab completely still. Ducking back into the bathroom he followed directions and changed.

Running late she'd wobbled on the thin heels just as she had the first time she wore them. Feeling unbalanced in more than one way she bent low to the ground and worked the combination to her home safe. Temperance Brennan had never done anything like this, never planned anything for a lover and friend like she had planned this night. Despite all her efforts to stay calm, her heart raced and her hands quivered as she pulled the old boot box from the safe and dug in it frantically. Staring down at the items in the box she took a deep breath, grabbed the item she'd been looking for and shoved the whole mess back in the safe without even closing the box properly. She didn't have time.

Grabbing a long trench coat she pulled it on and tightened the belt firmly around her waist. This was it, she was ready. She raced back to the lab.

Nothing could prepare her for the look of pure pleasure in his eyes as he swaggered out of the bathroom unaware of her presence. It stole her breath. The smile that lit up his face, showed off the beautiful lines around his eyes that seemed to have deepened over the last year of smiles and laughs they'd shared together. Frozen, she stood unable to move. They stared at each other locked in some dance that took place in the space between them; broken only when his eyes reached the small black bows on her heels.

Pulling her eyes nervously away she straightened the ties of her long bulky trench coat without saying a word. Then he in one seamless movement he appeared there, in front of her. His hands fell on hers, gently moved them aside as he worked the knot of her coat as if it had been the bow to a present. He unwrapped her. Finding below the coat the little black dress he'd picked out for her when they were undercover in Vegas. The same dress that only a year ago he'd asked about on the floor of her apartment surrounded by the memories, good and bad, that made her the woman he loved.

Breathy and light headed the pair pressed into a long passion filled kiss, pressed into their past, into this moment.

"We're going to be late." She spoke nervously against his lips unwilling to separate from him, carried away by the feel of his hands on her.

"To where?" Feeling the same pull to be close to her he held on as he kissed down the long slope of her neck and shoulder. Going out seemed like a terrible waste of time, he wanted to be here, be at home, at a hotel, just about anywhere but a public place.

A breathy whisper finally escaped with great effort. "Bohemian Caverns, we have reservations in twenty minutes." She sounded torn and disappointed which only magnified as he pulled his warm strong hands from her and stepped back.

"Reservations?" Moved by the amount of planning and care for detail she'd taken he pulled her back into a long solid kiss.

Their drive through the rainy streets brought back memories. She'd planned several surprises for the evening and while everything had come together far better than her expectations she was still nervous about the last one.

"You okay, Bones?" His tender voice broke through her worry.

"Yes." She smiled sweetly back at him as she let out a long held breath and squeezed his hand. "Yes. I am more than okay, Booth." The fluid white curve of piano keys that lit up as an overhang to the Bohemian Caverns' heavy wood doors came into view.

What followed was a whirlwind of splendor. The caverns, carved out cave structures that surrounded the band and performers had small private inlets with tables and chairs. She'd used her name and pull to reserve a private alcove just for the two of them. The undeniable magic of the dimly lit room with stalactites dipping low from the ceiling and cool blue, green, and purple lighting carried them away to another time and era. While the warm jazz melted away her anxiety over another surprise she had yet to share. It was perfect, and he told her so about a million times in a million ways. The food, the music, the dancing, even her long explanation of the history of the club as they looked at old black and white photos from the 1920s when it had been the Crystal Caverns, it had all been perfect. So perfect and transfixing that the thought of leaving had been hard for either of them to consider, both afraid to break the magic of the night.

But the last long slow dance, the feel of his hands as they slipped lower and held her tighter pushed them towards the ultimate end to their evening. Their needs and desires had become more demanding, louder than the music. The drive from the Caverns to his apartment ended up closer than the drive to hers. They drove to his barely stumbling through the door as the need to be together overwhelmed them.

She'd planned for this end of the evening as well. Booth stopped short when the dimly lit living room revealed a fine set of champagne flutes and a bottle chilled on ice. Holding her hand he looked back at her with a sincere look and shock and appreciation.

"Bones, I, I just don't even know what to say. When did you do all of this?" He asked as he helped her out of her coat.

"This? This I did on my way back to the lab this evening. It's really not that much, Booth." But it was; it was that and much more to him. It was everything to him. Every little detail had been intended to make a perfect night for him from the clothes she bought for him that matched exactly the clothes from Las Vegas, to her little black dress. It had all been perfectly set in motion not because she felt that anniversaries were important but because she knew they were important to him. He pulled her into his arms. There was no way to tell her how much each little detail meant to him, how they added up to a strong future in front of them.

Champagne poured, glasses full, they made their way to the bedroom. Playfully he whispered every thought, every desire that little black dress had inspired over the years as he acted on them. He stopped suddenly, surprised by the sound of paper crinkling.

He chuckled. "What's that? Is there a wad of money in there you've been hiding since Vegas?" He felt as her heart rate jumped, her breath became short and shallow. She didn't answer. Her serious eyes just stared back at him. There was something there, there must be given her reaction. He wrapped his arms around her unzipping her dress just a little as her head fell heavy on his shoulder for support. Pulling back he let the bodice fall loose between them revealing a small folded piece of paper wedged in her cleavage.

Studying her eyes carefully for permission he reached for it as he swallowed his own trepidation. This was part of the gift of tonight; he knew it without a word being spoken. It was dirty, heavy paper, folded carefully, and he recognized it immediately. This was the paper she'd taken from him last year, the paper she'd told him she wasn't ready to share. He realized then, this had been the real present of the evening, everything else, every incredible detail had just been wrapping for this moment.

He staggered backwards and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're sure?"

Closing her eyes she nodded, yes.

"You know you don't have to if you're not ready?" He'd felt how anxious she'd been from the moment he'd been alerted to the paper.

Coming to sit next to him she finally spoke. "It's yours, Booth, it was always yours."

Reaching he laid a soft kiss on her temple then turned his attention to the paper, gently unfolding it. He knew the minute he opened it what it was. One of the pages from the beginning of her book, her handwriting wedged around printed text. Struck by the wobbliness of her writing he knew how nervous she must have been when she wrote it. So many cases, so many files, her handwriting had always been so perfect and uniform. Not on this note. There had been an obvious difference, she'd been locked in a car, buried alive, left to die. These were the last words that she thought she'd ever send out into the world. A note that would have been found on her body if they'd died before they were found. The weight of it all was profoundly heavy. The fact that it had been written too him, that she had chosen him, even more so.

She hooked her arm through his and leaned her body on his side as he read silently. Watching his breathing change as he read, she held him a little tighter. Carefully she wiped a stray tear as it fell on the precious paper and began to roll. It was a confession of love, her love for him and an acknowledgment of his adoration for her. It was her heart poured out into simple words long before there was any talk of an experiment about making love. Proof that what he had felt building between them, what had sought expression through her insistence on that experiment had been real. More real than he realized last year.

He was overwhelmed by the sudden realization that she had been conscious of it too. As it turned out she had been the brave one, impatient, unwilling to wait any longer, she found a way to let him know. Through that silly experiment in making love she gave him a way to let her know how much he loved her.

Reverently he set the precious piece of their history on his bedside table. He stood and pulled her up to stand silently in front of him, his eyes fighting to say what his mouth found no adequate words for. She smiled stepping in just a little closer; tenderly, she wiped the few stray tears he couldn't hold back. He let her undress him, a long slow sensual process of undoing all the preparations for this perfect evening. Each item that fell to the floor left him more tightly wound, more anxious for his turn. She knew it too, her sly smile acknowledged his torture as she watched his hands open and close anxious for their turn to touch her.

Impatient, he finally moved, first he pulled the zipper all the way down, letting that perfect little black dress pool at her feet. Then held her hand as she stepped out of it and into him. Each movement they made, each touch, each kiss, proved all over again that they indeed had found the difference between making love and crappy sex. They'd found it together, found it in the tender expression of their love for one another, found it in the hard and often tense times, in passionate uncontrollable times, as well as the simple day to day times. They'd found it and would hold tightly to it as they built this life they shared together.

Tonight she found it in the comfort and safety of his arms as they found their way into bed among the soft familiar sheets. They found it as he fell into her, into the perfect fit that was undeniably them. He found it as he watched the peace wash over her as she accepted every bit of him, clung to him. Nothing compared to this feeling, this place they found each other in. Anxiously she pulled him lower, closer as he began to move within her. She had to reach him before she got lost in him, in them. She pulled at him until her lips found his ear and whispered softly but with every bit of her heart. "I _love _you, Seeley Booth. I always have and I fear I always will."

oooooOooooo

_A/N You know...this second epilogue just wouldn't leave me alone – it just begged to be written! There is one more but it lies in between these two and I am not sure I'm going to finish that one. Let me know what you think. Do you like Caught better than Little Black Dress or maybe the other way around? _


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